Fated Souls, Lost Darkness
by ADarknessInHeaven
Summary: Two souls intertwined, one of dark, one of light, the dark one left, leaving the other in a plight. 'Tis a journey began before, here's the continuation tale, 2 hedgehogs and a cat, plus two foxes: one's Tails. T for violence language, sequel to AtP, EtF.
1. Of Love and Darkness

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and if you haven't, read Avenge the Past, Embrace the Future. If you haven't, read it. It's the book before this, and if you don't read it, almost nothing here will make sense...**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Of Love and Darkness

"…_Succumb to the Darkness within…" a dark figure said, and Nodoka stepped back._

"_No…I won't!" Nodoka said, and she backed up against a wall._

"_Fine…if you won't succumb, maybe your little friend will!" the figure, revealing itself to be a black hedgehog with pupil-less eyes, and it was about to strike a standing Sam…_

* * *

"No!" Nodoka screamed, and she awoke, panting, and sweating heavily.

She got up, and sadly pictured Tails' place in ruins, and she sighed. "I've got to get out of here…before I hurt him…" she thought, and she looked at Sam, who was sleeping on the floor again.

She simply pecked him on the forehead, which caused him to twitch in his sleep, startling Nodoka. "…Nodoka…" Sam said in his sleep, and for only a moment did she regret trying to leave.

"…I'm sorry…" Nodoka said, and she simply walked outside, and walked west, not only before looking at the fox's house one last time…or so she thought…

"Nodoka!" Sam awoke, and he walked outside, thinking that he needed some fresh air.

"What are you doing outside?" Sam said, and she sighed.

"…The darkness within…it might take you…it's getting closer to creating a mental bond…I have to sever it, even if it means I may never see you again! Nodoka said tearfully, and tears fell to the ground below.

"…It won't happen. I'm sure of it…" Sam said, trying to comfort her.

"As much as I want to be with you…I won't risk that on you!" Nodoka said, crying.

"It won't happen, I'm telling you!" Sam said, trying to become calm himself.

"How do you know, Sam? How! It just might, and for the sake of our bond together…and our love, I won't put you in risk like that!" Nodoka said, many tears dropping from her eyes.

"I can control myself fine!" Sam said, slightly annoyed.

"If that controls you, you won't be able to control yourself!" Nodoka said, trying to control herself, but failing, as she ended up crying more.

"I won't let it!" Sam said, now at a loss for words, just shed a tear.

"I won't…ever…" he said, now in tears as well.

Nodoka ran up to him, and hugged him, leaving him confused. "...Thank you…for everything…" she then hit him on the head, knocking him out.

Sam, trying to stay conscious, saw Nodoka run off, and he just muttered: "Nodoka…" with the last of his strength, and he fell to the floor, unconscious…

* * *

"Hey…wake up!" Rikku said, and she kicked him in the head, suddenly awakening him.

"Oww…" Sam rubbed his head in pain, and looked at Rikku.

"What was that for?!" Sam asked angrily.

"Tell me: Why are you out here on the floor?" Rikku retorted, and Sam just shed a tear.

"…Please…tell me…did you catch her?" Sam asked, and his face was more like a fountain, as tears were flooding his face.

"Who?" Rikku said, and she was shaking Sam.

"Who were we supposed to catch?!" Rikku shook Sam harder, and Blaze steeped outside.

"Hey, did you notice that…No…do…ka…is…" Blaze suddenly stepped backward, and a sudden pulse of energy came from Sam; his fur glowed a crimson red, and he closed his eyes.

Tears were flooding his face, and he suddenly ran up to Blaze, and grabbed her by her coat collar. "Tell me…did you see her? Did you see her run away into the night after knocking me out, on the street, because of her own worries that darkness might consume me? I THINK NOT!" Sam said, obviously angry, and tears were just pouring out of his face.

A fist was made by Sam, and then he released his grip on Blaze, and calmed down, the fist being unclenched. "…She just…" Sam said, and he coughed a bit.

"…First off: calm down. Second, where do you think she went?" Blaze said, and she sighed.

"I DON'T KNOW." Sam said, and his fur reverted back to his original color.

Sonic looked at Sam, and was about to say something, but he was cut off by Sam's hand. "Don't. Say. ANYTHING." Sam said, sad and angry.

"…And you forgot third: Take it like a man!" Rikku said, and she kicked him on the back, making him fall on the floor.

"Look, if you really want to, find her yourself!" Rikku said, and she sighed.

"…That…is actually a pretty decent idea." Sam said, and he got up, and then walked into Tails' house.

"Where are you going?" Sonic asked, and Sam just smirked.

"Going to find Nodoka…she's run away, and it looks like I might have a chance of finding her." Sam replied, and he got his bag.

"Hey, if she's gone, we'd want to help search too! Sounds like a great excuse to travel!" Sonic said, and Sam looked at him with sharp eyes.

"Don't use my unfortunate event as an excuse!" Sam said, and he sighed.

"She was our friend too, Sam. Don't forget that." Sonic said, and Sam grabbed his bag.

"C'mon…can't we tag along?" Sonic said, and Sam sighed.

"…Fine. But if we have any chance of catching her, we've got to move fast." Sam said, and he grabbed his Extreme Gear.

"Speed's my game! You won't have a problem there!" Sonic smirked, and he grabbed his Extreme Gear as well.

"Hey, Tails! We're going on a road trip, Nodoka's run away! Grab your Extreme Gear, and we'll head out!" Sam just sighed.

"Alright!" Tails said, and everyone grabbed their Extreme Gears, and went outside.

Tails locked the door, and got on his Extreme Gear. "She went that way, so…may as well head to the nearest town, and start from there." Sam said, and he pointed west.

"Right, let's go!" They rode west, unaware of the adventure that they had just started…

* * *

Well, here's the first chapter of the second book, Fated Souls, Lost Darkness. Sorry if it felt short, hope you enjoyed it, review please, and I'll see you next!

Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	2. Prediction

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Prediction

"Well…we may as well start asking people here…" Blaze said, and she walked up to a person.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a…" Blaze just stopped, and the person just began to take her hands and do the swing.

"Let's dance the night away, babe!" The male said, and Blaze simply burned his hands, and kicked him in the leg.

"Don't one: call me 'babe', and two: grab my hands and start dancing! Now have you seen her or not?" The person just sighed, and shook his head.

"Fine!" Blaze said, and she simply walked up to Sonic and Sam.

"No luck from that guy…" Blaze said, and Sonic just sighed, as tons of people were now around him.

"…Well, usual. I suddenly become surrounded by people…Hey! Has any of you seen a hedgehog, around…my height, magenta dress…" Sonic sighed, and only one voice spoke then.

"…Yes, I have…She ran further west…But I wouldn't suggest going there." The man said, and Sonic just sighed.

"…Do you know who I am?" Sonic said, and he posed for a camera.

"…Let's just go…we're wasting time." Sam said, and he ran west once more, Sonic quickly catching up…

The people began to gather around Rikku, and the trio of Tails, Rikku and Blaze ran after Sam and Sonic.

"…Alright…another town reached." Sam said, and Sonic was by his side.

"…C'mon, man, you just spoiled the fun for me back there…" Sonic said, and Sam sighed.

"There'll be another crowd in the next city…" Sam said, and he began to walk, but he heard footsteps.

"Wait up!" The trio of Tails, Rikku, and Blaze came up to the duo.

"Don't leave us!" Tails said, but Sam just went onward to the next city.

"…Is he really that determined to get her back, to the point that he would leave us?" Blaze asked, and Sonic sighed.

"Ah, the things people do for love…" Rikku said, and she began to walk as well.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a hedgehog, my size…dark purple in color…" Sam asked, and the person shook his head, and Sam ran up to another person.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a dark purple hedgehog, my size?" Sam asked, and the person just walked by him.

"Have you seen a-"the person just knocked him down, and Sam looked in the direction where she was heading: there was a crowd.

"…Hey, have you seen a-"Sonic was cut off by a camera, and Sam began to get quite irritated.

"…Hey, have you seen a dark purple hedgehog anywhere?" Sam asked, and the person just pushed him out of the way in order to see Sonic.

"…This is beginning to get on my nerves…" Sam said angrily, and his fur suddenly turned crimson, and he turned to a person.

"Have you seen a-"the man just pushed him to the ground, and then stood on him.

"Thanks for the lift, I can't see-"the man said, but he was cut off by a pulse of energy from Sam, who was now glowing a darker shade of red, and was now on the verge of tears; no one would listen to him, due to Sonic's presence.

"…Hey! SONIC! If you're done standing in your little spotlight, A BIT OF HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!" Sam said, still on the floor, the man standing on him.

"…Get off of me…NOW!" Sam shoved the man to the floor, his fur glowing carmine, and the other people around him looked at him in fear.

"…I've seen her, she's gone north." One person finally said, and his fur returned to its original black and green color.

"…About time I got an answer." Sam muttered, and the person he shoved down stood up, and threw a punch at him, but Sam dodged.

"Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty!?" The man said, but Sam's fur reverted back to a carmine color, and the people around the two stepped backward.

"…Someone who's looking for someone he's lost. Now, if you'd be so kind to get out of my way…" Sam then pointed Chiharu at the man.

"…And by saying: be so kind to get out of my way…I mean to say: Get out of my way!" Sam said, and he rushed forward, others looking on at him, Sonic himself running after Sam, while the trio once again followed Sonic and Sam.

"Hey, calm down…" Sonic said, and Sam turned to face him, his fur carmine.

"Why…WHY would I even CONSIDER doing so? She's gone north, and I won't stop until I find her!" at this point, the trio caught up with Sonic and Sam.

"You won't stop, and I can't believe I'm saying this…but we will, though. Although I know you're worried about her, and that you…you know…we'll have to stop for something, at least some food and water." Sonic said, the others looking on.

"…No!" Sam said, his fur glowing a dark aura.

Sonic then hit him in the stomach, and pulled out the Chaos Emerald that Sam possessed. "Look at what you've become!" Sam looked into his reflection in the emerald, and his eyes closed.

His dark aura dissipated, and his fur reverted to its normal color. "…Exactly as she thought…it's close to creating a mental bond with me…" Sam said, and tears began to pour out.

He quickly wiped the tears away, and spoke. "…If we're going to search….I should stop rushing through everything…calm down, and settle this….sanely." Sam said, and he looked at the rest of the group.

"…Let's go." Sam said, and he rushed north, the other following him.

"…It's around nine. We should stop, get some rest." Sonic said, and they arrived at a town.

"I guess…let's head into a motel." Sam said, and Blaze suddenly stopped.

"…Do we have to go into a motel?" Blaze said, and she looked at Sam.

"…I don't really mind, although, if it's really that bad, you could just check in somewhere else." Sam said, and he just walked in along with the others, leaving Blaze just standing outside.

"…Hey…wait up…" Blaze said, and she walked in.

"Hey, it's Sonic!" The clerk said, and she led the group to a large room.

"…Thanks." Sam said, and the clerk looked at him with a smirk.

"…Oh lord…it's you isn't it…" Sam said, and she nodded.

"…What happened to the other hedgehog?" The clerk asked, and Sam's fur suddenly turned red, a pulse of energy and rage was felt emanating from him, and his eyes lowered.

"…Don't ask." Sonic said, and Rikku tapped Sam's shoulder, and she looked him in the eyes.

"…She wouldn't want you to go berserk over something like this…stop, Sam." Rikku said, and Sam reverted to normal.

"…Right…" Sam said, and he noticed the clerk was hiding behind the T.V.

"Sorry." Sam said, and the clerk briskly walked out of the room in fear…

"…I've got to stop doing that, don't I…" Sam said, and others nodded in agreement…

* * *

Well, the break's getting closer, and I'm getting more free time! I'll have a bit more time to write now! I'll probably get a bit more in, and during the break…more time! Hope you enjoyed, R&R, I'll see you next!

Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	3. Reality

****

Disclaimer:

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Reality

"…Hey…get up…you wouldn't want your girl to keep you, now would you?" Sam suddenly opened his eyes, and his fur glowed red, but then reverted back, as he saw it was just Rikku, poking his head.

"…Right…what's that noise?" Sam asked, and he looked out the window to see a giant crowd of people with 'Hey, SONIC!!!' signs…

"Wait, who is that guy? WE WANT SONIC!" A young human yelled, and the crowd suddenly burst into a roar of 'We want Sonic!'

"Oh dear…does this happen every time you go on an adventure?" Sam asked, and Sonic, coming out of the bathroom, just shrugged

Tails suddenly popped out of the shower, and he wrapped a towel around him. "Hey, what's going on?" Tails said, and the crowd suddenly grew even louder, and the clerk from last night came in.

"…Well, I'm a fan too!" She said happily, and she tried to hug him, but he side stepped.

"…You're too slow!" Sonic said happily, and Sam looked at her.

"Get up…" Sam said, and he stuck a hand out.

She grasped it, and getting up, she backed away quickly from him. "…Look, about yesterday, I'm sorry about what happened. She ran away, fearing darkness would consume me…it's a soul thing." Sam said, and the clerk just nodded.

"Alright…" She said, and she nodded slowly.

"…Hey, Sonic…try asking if they've seen a regimental hedgehog." Sam asked, and the clerk spoke.

"…She went north. Stayed in this room, actually…left quite a bit of hair, and spines…" She said, and Sam saw a regimental spine on the floor.

"…Nodoka…" Sam shed a tear, and held onto the spine tightly.

"Sonic, Tails, Rikku, Blaze…Let's go!" Sam said, and his stomach growled.

"…To get something to eat!" Sam said, and the clerk spoke once more.

"…There's a complementary breakfast, enjoy. It's next to the lobby." Sam suddenly grabbed his bag, and briskly walked out of the room, Sonic following.

"It's only 10…" Blaze said, and she sighed, walking out, leaving the crowd to stare at Rikku.

"…Can I get some hot chocolate? It's cold…" Rikku said, and the clerk looked at her sharply.

"And who do you think you are?" The clerk said, and she sighed.

"Rikku Fox." She replied back, and the clerk gasped.

"…Rikku Fox…you mean…right away!" The clerk said joyfully, and Rikku smirked, but then sighed, as the crowd was then chanting Rikku's name.

Rikku then walked out of the room, into the breakfast area, and saw Sam, and an untouched plate of waffles. "…You miss her, don't you?" Rikku said, and he sighed.

"…Yeah…it's just…I could've done something to stop her…calm her, at least…this is the result of my failure." Sam said, and tears dropped from his eyes.

He quickly wiped them away, and looked at her. "…You tried, at the very least…it's in the past, and we have to keep moving forward. Just sulking around us isn't going to help, you know…you wanted to find her yourself, so don't get so emotional when someone mentions her, alright?" Rikku said, before looking at the waffle maker that they had, and she walked up to it, now preparing a waffle.

"Your hot chocolate." The clerk walked in, and she handed Rikku her hot chocolate, and walked away.

"…You're well known as well?" Sam said, and Rikku nodded.

"…May as well deal." Sam said, and he began to eat his waffles.

Sonic walked up to Rikku a couple of minutes later, who was flipping the waffle pan over, and he looked at Sam. "He'll be fine…he's just a bit heartbroken, he'll be fine once he meets her again." Rikku said, and she opened the pan, grabbed her waffle, and placed it on a paper plate.

"…Alright, I'm pretty much full. I'll be waiting next to the entrance." Sam said, and he walked out of the room.

"Hey." Tails said, and he walked up to Sam.

"Hey…I guess you're famous too, considering you're with Sonic most of the time." Sam said, and Tails simply nodded.

"Yeah…Like I've said before, my life before I met Sonic was horrible, and when I met him, it turned for the better." Tails said.

"Ah…aren't you hungry?" Sam asked curiously, and the fox just shook his head.

"I ate before you woke up." Sam just nodded, and waited.

After 15 minutes, the trio of Rikku, Blaze, and Sonic walked out of the doors of the motel, to find themselves surrounded by an enormous crowd. "…Let's go." Sam said, and Sonic rushed forward, and the crowd moved to the side, Sam and the others following him.

"Chiharu!" Sam said, and he came out in his hedgehog form, running alongside Sam.

"…You know Juuchi Yosamu. Try to find her with Nodoka, and return with their location, if possible. If you can't find them, try to figure out where she went, and return with that." Chiharu nodded, and continued to run with him until a town came up.

"…Now. Good luck." Sam said, and Chiharu, turning into a yellow ball of light, burst forward, rushing inside people's heads, and eventually, Chiharu left the town.

"He'll find where Juuchi Yosamu is, and then Nodoka will probably be near. Considering he goes at my speed, not to mention he can't tire and he isn't physical in that form, it shouldn't be long until he finds her." Sam said joyfully.

"For now, let's just ask if they've seen her." Blaze said, and the group began to ask, as people were already surrounding them…

"…North." Chiharu though to himself, and he continued north.

"…Excuse me, have you seen-"Rikku was suddenly cut off by a young boy, and he said:

"You're Rikku Fox!" Rikku then sighed, and continued.

"Have you seen a regimental hedgehog…green eyes, 2 feet taller…?" Rikku said, and the kid just tapped his foot.

"…Regi-what?" Rikku then turned to Sonic, who was posing for a photo.

Sam sighed, and turned to Tails. "You can fly, can't you? Try saying it from above: it might catch the crowd's attention! Besides, you're more popular, not to mention cuddly!" Sam said, and Tails nodded.

"Hey, has anyone seen a dark purple hedgehog, with green eyes!" Tails shouted, and one person just pointed north.

Tails landed, and Sam gestured for the group to head forward. Sonic posed for some more pictures, and Sam just placed his palm to his face. He then began to drag Sonic north. "Hey, hey, hey…" Sonic said, and Sam released his grip.

"C'mon. No time to waste." Sam said, and Sonic just sighed.

"I'm not WASTING time…I'm spending it!" Sonic said smugly, and Sam just placed two fingers onto his forehead, and kept tapping it.

"…Let's just go…" Sam said, and he ran north, Sonic quickly catching up, and the others followed.

After around 3 hours, Sam stopped, out of breath, and he sighed. "Alright…it's been 3 hours, and no town…where could she possibly be residing?!?" Sam said, and Sonic just tapped his shoulder.

"…That cave might be a good guess." Sonic said, and Sam's mind raced.

_'Why in the WORLD would she be THERE, of all places?!'_ Sam thought, and he entered to find 2 glowing balls of light; Chiharu and Juuchi Yosamu.

They simply reverted to their hedgehog forms, and looked at Sam. "…We can't get past here. For some reason, there's some spiritual barrier…" Chiharu said, and Juuchi Yosamu nodded.

"I know where she's headed: her old hometown, Station Square. Her reason for so, I don't know." Juuchi Yosamu added.

"…Then a: she knows that we're catching up to her, and b: she's that unwilling to meet me again." Sam said, and Tails' ears perked upward.

"…Let's take the Tornado!" Tails said, and Sam just looked at him with a 'Are you serious?!' face.

"Are you serious?!" Sam said, and Tails looked at him.

"Yeah. Why, you do not want Nodoka back?" Tails said, and Sam just face palmed.

"…Tails? We are in the middle of a forest, and we obviously DO NOT HAVE THE TORNADO! How in the WORLD do you propose, we get it?" Sam said, irritated.

"I came prepared." The fox's feelings were slightly hurt, and he pulled out a remote, with a button on it.

He simply pressed the button, and sat down on a nearby rock. "Now…we wait." Tails said simply, and he looked up at the clouds.

"…WAIT? You've got to be pulling my leg…of all the things, you really expect that-"Sam was cut off by Sonic's hand, and Sonic did the same next to him.

"If I know him…He knows what he's doing." Sonic said, and Sam just sighed.

Juuchi Yosamu walked up to him in her usual sliver dress, and tapped his shoulder. "…Did she have another reason?" Sam said, and Juuchi Yosamu nodded.

"…Something…happened. I don't want to tell…it's personal." She said, and Sam just patted her head.

"You don't need to. Thanks." Sam said, and she walked up to Chiharu.

"…Is he going to be alright?" Juuchi Yosamu said, and Chiharu shook his head.

"…He probably won't forget this…the one person he could count as a friend and more…and she's gone off." Chiharu said, and Juuchi Yosamu sighed.

"It just…makes me sad to see him like this. His love's lost, gone onward…at least I helped a little…" Juuchi Yosamu said sadly, and Chiharu just patted her back.

"Look…Juuchi Yosamu…" Chiharu said, and Juuchi Yosamu just sighed.

"…Just call me Juuchi, no need to call me by first and last... this isn't my full name, however." Chiharu nodded, and he continued.

"He misses her to the point of rampaging throughout towns…I've never seen him act so desperate. It's like he's a completely different person." Chiharu said, and he sat down before continuing.

"…Look…now, you have a choice as whether to stay with us and try to find her, or be with her. It's your decision." Chiharu said, and she sat down with him.

"…I don't know what to do. Either I can simply go with you and the others…and search for her, or be with her. To be truthful…don't tell anyone this, but she's just as heartbroken as Sam. Every night, she cries in misery and loneliness…wishing she could just have someone to be with her…not a Soulbend, like me…but a living person. I, in all actuality, understand her: I was in a similar situation when I was alive…" Juuchi said, and she sighed.

"If I don't go back there…I don't know what's going to happen to her…and that's the problem: She might just…" Juuchi began to tear up, and Chiharu hugged her.

"…I understand if you have to leave...it's alright." Chiharu said softly, and the group turned to the duo.

Sam just turned away, blushing, and shedding a tear._ "…I wish…if only she was here…"_ Sam thought, and he looked back to the duo.

"…Well, Soulbend couples…real couples…guess it really is destiny!" Sonic said playfully, but he saw a sad look on Sam's face, and he turned to him.

"…Really…That is just cute." A voice said, and Sonic felt the wind being knocked out of him, and the wind coming back in, and he suddenly saw a blue dragon appear before his eyes, and he looked at it.

"…Wait, aren't you supposed to have a strong connection with Sonic before you can physically manifest yourself?" Sam asked, and the dragon simply shook his head.

"We in nature are already connected, young one. He has a carefree and fun personality. Just like the wind…" The dragon said, and he turned into wind, and then reappeared behind Juuchi Yosamu.

"Huh…you really DO make a good couple." Sairai Denkō said, and the couple was startled.

"Sairai Denkō, call me Sairai." Sairai said, and the duo nodded.

"Oh…c'mon…don't intrude on their moment like that." Another voice said, and Tails felt the same feeling of wind being knocked out of him, and it returning to him.

"You two are somehow strongly related with your Soulbends…odd, but helpful." Sam said, and he smirked.

"Sengen Ketsudan. Sengen for short." Sengen said, looking at Chiharu, who was looking at Juuchi, who was looking at Sairai, who was looking at Sengen.

"Feels good getting out of your weapon form?" Chiharu said, and the duo of Sengen and Sairai shrugged.

"I take control of Sonic's body while called upon, so I feel pretty free…although getting out of his mind into my original body is better…a bit more freedom." Sairai said, and Sengen nodded in agreement.

"…Wait a moment…what's going on!?" Rikku said, and Sam looked at her, a fist clenched.

He suddenly got up and tried to punch Rikku, who dodged the punch, and then took out her twin daggers, assuming a fighting stance. "Chiharu, I need you here." Sam said, and he sighed.

"I'll be back in a bit." Chiharu said, and he turned into a ball of light, went to Sam's hand, and turned into his sword form.

"C'mon…show me what you've got." Sam said, and he rushed forward with Chiharu, and swiped vertically.

She moved to the side and simply cut his arm before kicking him to a nearby tree. Sam closed his eyes, and he looked at her. She ran forward and was about to strike…but she stabbed the tree, not his shoulder. "C'mon…get off, before Tails thinks we're up to something…" Sam said jokingly, and Rikku slapped him, embarrassed and confused.

"These are Soulbends. Basically, they are a part of your Soul, and a part of their Soul combined to form one, and they can be used as basically anything if the user's skilled enough, not really a weapon. If you want…I can help you to gain one." Sam said, and he heard a plane, to be more specific, the Tornado, and he looked at it…then back to Rikku.

"…I'll think about it." She said, and the plane landed.

"Hop on!" Tails said, and Blaze said froze.

"…Wait…we aren't flying on past the cave…I mean come on…will that really-"Blaze was cut off by Sonic's hand grasping on to hers, and he leaped on.

Everyone was on the plane, Sam told Chiharu to get into his weapon form, which he did so unwillingly. Sonic, Sam, Juuchi, and Blaze were on one wing. Sengen, Sairai, and Rikku was on the other. "Tornado…Launch!" Tails said, and the plane took off into the sky, and flew above the cave, the Soulbends unaffected.

"…I just realized…can't we just head to Station Square?" Sonic said, and Sam shook his head.

"If we did, where's the fun in that?" Sam said, and he sighed.

"And besides, if we did, Nodoka would hear about it, and flee somewhere else." Sam said, and Juuchi sighed.

"She's going there for a big reason…she'd want to take it slow." Juuchi said, and Sonic nodded.

"Tails! Go to the next town!" Sonic yelled, Tails nodded, and the plane flew off…

* * *

Well, here's to another chapter! *toasts* I'll probably have another in before the break ends, so…yeah. R&R, hope you enjoyed, I'll see you next!

Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	4. Contracts

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Contracts

"We should stop here…Juuchi…are you alright…staying with us? Won't she be worried?" Sam said, and Chiharu looked at Juuchi Yosamu, who was simply playing with her hands.

"Not to mention defenseless. She's all alone now…are you SURE about this?" Sam said, and she simply nodded.

"…Yes. I'll meet her again." Juuchi said, with a slight tone of worry in her voice.

"…Alright…are you SURE on this?" Chiharu said, and Juuchi was now a little irritated.

"…What, you want me to make an artificial contract?!" Juuchi said, irritated.

"…Artificial Contract?" Sam asked, and Chiharu nodded.

"It seems you remember something in the death moment…I'll explain it once we get inside a hotel…" Chiharu said, and Sonic saw one.

"Let's go!" Sonic said, and he ran up to it.

"Wait up Sonic!" Tails said, and he ran behind him.

The others followed him inside the hotel, and the clerk just jumped happily. "It's SONIC!" she said, and everyone around the area was now staring at the group.

"…2 rooms for 3. Leave the payment to 54-86 Parkinson Road." Sam said, and he smirked, as his former bully would get a surprise…

"Right." She simply said, and the group got 2 room keys.

"Rooms 705 and 706." She said, and the group nodded, going on the elevator near the desk.

"Girls take 706, boys will take 705." Sam said, and he received a deathly stare by the girls in the elevator.

"Since when do YOU get to make all the decisions!?" the girls said in unison, and Sam covered his ears with his gloved hands.

"…Let's put it like this: Do you REALLY want to see nude guys?" Sam said, and the girls simply slapped him.

"NO!" they said in unison once more, the trio of Rikku, Blaze, and Juuchi blushed.

"…Come to think of it…None of us guys are wearing pants…" Sam said, and the girls punched him until the elevator reached the 7th floor.

"Oww…" Sam said, and he went to his right.

"Here…706." Sam said, and with one last punch by Blaze, which left a burn mark on his arm, he placed the room key in, and took it out.

The door made a beep, and it opened, and the trio of boys entered. Blaze did the same, but it didn't open. She tried again, but to no success. A third time did nothing as well, and Blaze was starting to get irritated. "Here, let me try something." Juuchi said, and she placed her gloved hand to the door, and her hand began to glow white.

She then tapped the key slot, and the door opened. "Ah, the power of spirit energy…" She said, and she rushed in and laid down on the bed.

Blaze and Rikku walked in, and simply sat down. "Thanks." Rikku said joyfully, and Juuchi nodded.

"…So…what's an 'artificial contract'?" Sam said curiously, taking Chiharu out.

"…Well…I need a girl, and a guy…willing to do _something_." Chiharu said slyly, and Sam opened a door in the back, revealing 705 and 706 were connected by that door!

Sadly for Sam, the girls were getting dressed into their bathing suits. "…PERVERT!" Rikku said, and she whipped Sam with her tail, causing him to stumble forward…and that would only make things worse.

"…You wouldn't mind coming in our room?" Sam said, and Blaze simply lit his tail on fire.

He squirmed in pain, but took it. "…AFTER you're done changing!" Sam said, and the trio nodded, and Sam went back into 705.

"…Girls are harsh…" Sam said, and Sonic simply chuckled.

A couple of minutes passed, and the trio of girls walked into 705. "…Alright, Chiharu…what's an 'artificial contract'?" Sam said, and Chiharu pointed his finger upward and closed his eyes.

"An Artificial Contract is basically this: you get into a circular magic inscription, and then…well, to put bluntly, kiss, and you get some of the partner's abilities, and the partner gets 3 cards, each for a specific ability, not to mention she gets an overall boost in everything, and smoother skin!" Chiharu said, and Sam sighed.

"…Want to try it out?" Chiharu said, Sam blushed heavily.

"…Well…'she' isn't here." Sam said, and Chiharu dragged him to Juuchi.

"Great, I'll set up the inscription!" Chiharu said happily, and Sam just sighed.

"I never agreed to this!" Sam said, and Juuchi sighed.

"…It's only one time…not that bad." Juuchi said calmly, blushing heavily.

Chiharu began to draw on the floor with spiritual energy, and in a matter or seconds, he was done with the inscription: a complex array of shapes and symbols, and Sam sighed. Chiharu slammed his hand onto the array, and he shouted: "ARTICON, START!"

The symbol began to glow green and black and Sam sighed. "…Look, I know Chiharu and you like each other…after all, Nodoka and I…well, y'know…" Sam said nervously, blushing heavily.

"It's alright...Chiharu's basically agreed to this, I guess, so…" Juuchi said, looking at Chiharu, who was smirking.

Sam leaned forward, and he felt his heart stop for a second. Juuchi leaned in a little, and their eyes locked on each other, they leaned in a bit more, and they kissed each other on the lips. "…Now's my cue to say: ARTICON FINISHED!" the array glowed white, and dissipated, and what was in its place were 3 cards.

The duo of Sam and Juuchi was still lip locking after the artificial contract was over, and after a minute or two, they realized the contract was over, and they turned away, both of them blushing heavily. "…You two have a thing going on, or…'cause if you do, then alright. We'll just leave you two alone now…" Sonic said, and Sam slapped him.

"…You seem to remind me of Nodoka…to be open; since you're her Soulbend, it does seem to make sense…" Sam said, still blushing.

"…You remind me of Chiharu, actually…it does kind of make sense…" Juuchi said, and she noticed the three cards on the ground, which Sam picked up.

"This is a 'profile deck'. It's basically 3 abilities, one for each card. One's offensive, the other slightly less offensive and the last is defensive/hiding." Chiharu said, and Sam looked at the three cards.

"But they're blank!" Sam said, and Chiharu smirked.

"The more you get to know the person that you made a Contract with, as you do, a card's face will be revealed." Chiharu said wisely, and Sonic sighed.

"Alright then, Einstein…are you done with your little class?" Sonic said, and Chiharu sighed.

"…The only thing that can form an Artificial Contract is a Soulbend…Anyone want to gain one?" Chiharu said, and Sonic stepped up to him.

"Blaze, want to try this out?" Sonic asked, and Blaze timidly said yes.

Chiharu drew the same array, and the two stepped in. "ARTICON, START!" Chiharu yelled, and Sonic covered his ears, and the array glowed blue and lilac.

"Jeez…you gotta yell that?" Sonic said, and he slowly walked up to Blaze.

"Ready?" Blaze said nervously, and she began to emit wisps of smoke.

"Calm down…" Sonic said, and his gloved hand rubbed her ear, and she purred, the wisps of smoke stopping.

As he did so, Blaze leaned forward, and Sonic did the same, and they kissed on the lips. "ARTICON FINISHED!" Chiharu said, and the array glowed white, and dissipated, in its place was 6 cards, 3 next to Sonic, and 3 next to Blaze.

They picked up their cards, and Rikku happily bounced up and down. "Ooh, me and Tails next!" Rikku then dragged Tails to where Chiharu was drawing the array.

"Oh…and by the way…if there's interference, the cards will have little to no spirit energy…and will be deemed near useless, unless the male pours a lot of spirit energy into it. Also…you must kiss on the lips. No baby kisses or a peck…all out. Otherwise, the cards won't appear, the contract will just end." Chiharu said, and Tails blushed.

"ARTICON, START!" The array glowed yellow, and the two foxes walked up to each other.

"Well…let's just take this-"Rikku then rushed up to him and kissed him on the lips, and Chiharu shouted: "ARTICON FINISHED!" the array then glowed white and dissipated, leaving 6 cards.

The two foxes were still going at it, and Sam just watched them. "Hormones…" Sam said, and Chiharu handed the two cards to the foxes, and they stopped, and walked away, blushing.

"…Oh, and by the way…you can do Artificial Contracts to more than one person. Also, a Permanent Contract…although this will join two souls, meaning they are mentally bound to each other, basically, forcible soul mates. You also can't make any Artificial Contracts while in a Permanent one. Usually, the two people that do a Permanent Contract end up becoming _life partners_…so choose wisely if you're going to make one." Chiharu said, and Sam blushed.

"…So…you were planning to go to a pool?" Sam asked, and the girls nodded, and they went downstairs, Blaze having the room key.

"C'mon!" Sam said, and Sonic just froze.

"…Anything wrong?" Sam asked, and the hedgehog simply just didn't respond…until Sam splashed cold water from the bathroom sink.

"Hey!" Sonic said, and Sam just walked away.

"Aquaphobic, now are we?" Sam said, and Sonic just sighed.

"Let's just go…" Sonic said, embarrassed.

"Tails, get the room key." Sonic said, and he nodded.

"Right, let's go!" Chiharu said, and Sam just sighed.

"…What? I haven't swum in a while." Sam sighed.

"Same age as me, wiser in many ways…and childish in some as well…" Sam said, and Chiharu was irritated.

"Hey, YOU try being a sword for a while! It strains my back…" Chiharu retorted, and Sam walked to the elevator, the rest of the boys following.

"The pool's down 3 floors…" Tails said, and he clicked the button, making the elevator go downward.

The door opened, and Sam simply stepped inside to see Juuchi, Rikku, and surprisingly, Blaze in the water. "I thought cats were afraid of water!" Sonic said, gawking.

"Common misconception." Blaze said, and she swam up to him.

"Come on…join the fun!" Sam said, taking off his gloves and shoes, and he dove into the water, and Tails did the same.

"Yeah, Sonic, water's great!" Tails added, and Sonic simply walked away slowly.

Sam simply grabbed his leg, and dragged him in there. "NOOO!" Sonic said, and Blaze simply swam up to him, and grabbed him.

He spat out some water, and he sighed. "I didn't even take off my shoes…" Sonic said, and Sam chuckled.

"Do so now then." Sam said, and thus, he attempted to…but failed.

Sam dove down, took off his shoes, and placed them near the edge of the pool. "There." Sam said, and Sonic was panicking.

"…Blaze…don't let go…" Sonic said, and she sighed.

"…Someone hold him…" Blaze said, and she was blushing.

"…Well, you do like each other: know more about each other. It'll strengthen the bond you two share…and you might get a card to reveal." Chiharu said, and he dove in as well.

"Well, here's one thing I know: he fears water." Blaze said, and Sam simply chuckled.

"C'mon…" Sam said playfully, and he splashed some water on Sonic, and he started to squirm in Blaze's hands.

"…Get me out of here, get me out…" Sonic said, and Blaze sighed.

She let go of him, and he miraculously floated…and was frantically squirming in the water. "I'm going to drown!!!" Sonic said, and Blaze simply flicked him on the head.

"Control yourself!" Blaze said, and Sonic realized that he was floating.

"…Took you long enough." Juuchi said, and she chuckled.

* * *

Well, here's…probably the last chapter I'll get in before break ends. I'll have school for a while…and I guess break will come soon…R&R, hope ya enjoyed, and I'll see ya next chapter!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	5. Reliance and Reason

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Reliance and Reason

"Hey, hey…c'mon." Sonic said, on a treadmill, running casually…and by casually, it's quite fast.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Sonic said impatiently, and he realized that it was up to the maximum speed limit.

"Aww…" Sonic then ran faster, and Sam sighed.

"Shouldn't you be with Blaze, talking…mingling…getting to know her better…?" Sam questioned, and Sonic sighed.

"I know her well enough…" Sonic said, and Sam just tapped his foot.

"Really…then why haven't your three cards revealed themselves yet?" Sam retorted, and Sonic smirked.

"Fine…I'll talk to her." Sonic said, and he turned the treadmill off.

"Alright then…let's get started!" Sam then stood on the treadmill, and pressed the on button…which sent him flying backward, as the speed level was still at its maximum.

"…Ow…" Sam rubbed his head, and Juuchi Yosamu, wearing a black exercise outfit, walked up to Sam and stuck out a hand.

"C'mon…get up." She said, and he grabbed her hand, and got up.

"Thanks…" Sam sighed, and she looked at him with concern.

"Anything the matter?" Juuchi said, and Sam blushed a bit.

"…Did he really have to choose you as an example for the Artificial Contract?" Sam said, and Juuchi blushed heavily to the point that if Sam wasn't there, someone would mistake her for an angry Sam.

"…Chiharu…you idiot!" Juuchi suddenly slapped Sam with a gloved hand glowing white with spiritual energy, and Sam felt nothing, instead, Chiharu, in his hedgehog form was suddenly next to Sam, a visible red mark on his cheek.

"Excuse me…it was sudden!" Chiharu said, and Sam just facepalmed.

"Look, I understand that the other girls had someone…but you couldn't have used Sonic as an example with Blaze?" Sam asked, and Chiharu just sighed.

"It was sudden, alright? I couldn't think of anyone else…I'm pretty sure you can't break an Artificial Contract, so just go with it, alright?" Chiharu said, and he simply walked in front of Sam, turned into a yellow ball of light, and entered Sam's head.

"…Look, he's right…we're here, can't get rid of it…may as well make the best of it." Sam said, and Juuchi, who was still blushing as hard as any person could, just sighed.

"…Alright." Juuchi said, and the two began to talk…

* * *

"Hey…Blaze." Sonic said, and Blaze looked at him.

"Hey." Blaze said, and Sonic sighed.

"What's wrong?" Blaze said, and Sonic just shook his head.

"Nothing." Sonic said, and Blaze just tapped her foot, and a long, awkward silence filled the room...

"…Alright, I know something's going on…what's wrong?" Blaze said, and Sonic just sighed.

"Sam just told me to talk to you…mingle a bit…" Sonic said.

"Well…say what's on your mind…and don't beat around the bush; I don't like that." Blaze said, and Sonic began to speak…

* * *

"Looks good…it fits…alright, I'm getting this!" Rikku said happily, and Tails was being dragged throughout the department store, and people were staring.

"Rikku…when Sam said essentials, do new clothes really count?" Tails asked, and Rikku nodded.

"Yes! A girl's got to keep up with the trends!" Rikku said, and Tails sighed.

"Can you at least stop dragging me…please…people are staring, dear." Tails was suddenly slapped by a blushing Rikku, and he was let go.

"Don't call me 'dear'!" Rikku said, blushing heavily.

"Sorry…" Tails said, and he smirked.

"I got a bit…woo…" Tails said, and he got up off the floor.

"Alright…let's pay for this." Rikku simply walked up to the register, and the clerk said: "That'll be $40.00."

Tails gave the clerk two 20 dollar bills, and the clerk bagged the clothing. "Who gave you money?" Rikku asked, and Tails said: "Sam. Apparently, he found some cash on the floor…as dumb as it sounds, it's true."

"Alright!" Rikku said happily, and she walked out of the store, Tails following behind her…

* * *

"Hey…Sam?" Juuchi said, and Sam looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

Juuchi suddenly blushed a bit, and she asked: "…Would you really do a Artificial Contract with me?" Sam blushed as well, and looked down on the floor.

"…You're a great girl and all…" Juuchi blushed harder, and then hugged him.

Sam blushed heavily, and asked: "What are you doing...?"

"…So…you don't think of me as a weapon?" Juuchi said, and Sam nodded.

"…No…however…you already have Chiharu. I wouldn't want to rain on your parade." Sam said, and Juuchi released the embrace.

"…Forgive me…" Juuchi said, and she leaned in for a kiss, and Chiharu manifested himself in front of Juuchi, and then placed his hand on Juuchi's forehead.

"You're forgiven." Chiharu said tearfully, and he quickly entered Sam once more.

"Wait, Chiharu…" Sam and Juuchi said in unison, and Juuchi sighed.

"…I'm sorry…it's just that…no one's ever treated me like a girl before…just a Soulbend…or a spirit, aside from Chiharu and…you." Juuchi said tearfully, and Sam placed her head on his chest.

"…It's alright. I can understand why…but to betray him like that…Chiharu." Sam summoned Chiharu in his hedgehog form, only to see he was crying.

"…To lose a loved one…I don't want that to happen…to anyone…" Sam said, and he prodded Chiharu to Juuchi.

"But…she isn't…" Chiharu said, and Sam cut him off.

"…We'll find her eventually…as much as you're like her Juuchi…I won't let my friend feel sorrow…forgive me." Sam said sorrowfully, and he walked out of the exercise room.

"…Do you think…he made the right decision?" Juuchi asked sadly.

"…I don't know." Chiharu said, patting Juuchi on the head.

* * *

Tails and Rikku were walking, and then they sat down on a bench, and suddenly, they see a speeding Sam in tears to the elevators. Tails just shrugged, but Rikku…decides to go after him.

"Tails, c'mon!" Rikku said, and Tails rushed forward along with Rikku, chasing Sam to the elevators.

_"What do they want?!"_ Sam thought, and made a rush to the elevator, people ahead of him.

Sam jumped over the crowd, and Tails tried to carry Rikku over…but merely lifted a little off the ground. "…So I've gained some weight." Rikku said, and she through the crowd, Tails behind.

_"Crud, crud, crud…c'mon, close…" _Sam thought, and the door…didn't close.

"You need the room key to go up!" Tails said, and he ran to the elevator, Rikku in front of him.

Rikku and Tails were panting from the chase, and Sam…was still in tears, crouching in the elevator as Tails placed the room key in, the elevator recognizing the key and floor went up. "…What were you running about?!" Rikku said, and Tails sighed.

"…Are you heartbroken AGAIN?" Rikku said, and Sam sighed.

"…I feel like a idiot…she tried to…well…I didn't want to…she's got Chiharu…I did the right thing…but why do I feel such pain?" Sam questioned himself, and Rikku got what he was saying.

Tails, on the other hand, didn't have a clue what happened. "…Who?" Tails said, and Rikku simply sighed.

She whispered what happened in Tails' ear, and he nodded. "Oh…" was all Tails could say, and he sighed.

"…Maybe it's because…well…she's gone…I guess you need someone to rely on in these times…after all, everyone's got someone except you." Rikku said, and Sam sighed.

"I guess…someone…to help me…someone I can rely on." Sam wiped away his tears with his gloved hand, and the elevator stopped, and they were on the seventh floor.

* * *

"Sonic…stop…this tickles!" Blaze said, and Sonic just kept tickling her, and they both laughed on the bed.

Sonic was on top of Blaze in a…uncomfortable position, and Sam unlocked the door, only to see Sonic and Blaze in that pose. "…Well well…you sure had a time up here…" Sam was slapped, and he chuckled.

"…Nice." Sam said, and a quill was then burnt by Blaze.

Sonic threw some water over his head, putting out the fire. "…Thanks." Sam said, and Sonic did a thumbs up.

"…She left you for a reason, y'know. Maybe get rid of that, and she'll come back again." Rikku said, and Sam nodded.

"…Hold up." Sam then began to search through his bag for a book he had brought, and when he found it, he skimmed through the pages.

"What are you…"Tails said, and Sam stood still on a page, reading its contents well.

"…I can't get rid of it…I can merely reduce it to the minimum...the counter…" Sam said, and he bit his thumb, making it bleed.

"What are you doing?!" Rikku said, and Sam just drew an array with his blood on the floor.

_"…Light of the heavens…strike me with your omnipresent light, and hit the core darkness within…I ask you for my blessing…"_ Sam said, and the array glowed a pink tint.

_"The array of blood, sacrificed for this incantation, spear of light, purge me of the darkness within!"_ Sam said, and the ground began to shake.

_"…Divine Spear of Light…"_ Sam was then cut off by Juuchi, who had then entered the room.

"Hold it!" Juuchi said, and Sam uttered the final word to the incantation.

_"…Pierce."_ The array was then glowing white, and a crying Juuchi tried to run into the array, which then dissipated.

"Get back!" Rikku said, and a white spear pierced Sam vertically, and a black substance spread through the room.

It dissipated, and then, a much bleeding Sam dropped to the ground, panting heavily. "…This burns…" Sam said, and he was knocked out.

"Hootai." Sam said, and bandages covered him, head to toe, and he laid down there.

"…I shouldn't have…it's my fault…" Juuchi said, crying.

"…No, it's not." Sonic said, and Juuchi looked at him.

"He did this to try to get as much darkness out of him as possible…this is the reason Nodoka left also, right?" Juuchi nodded, and Sonic sighed.

"He's desperate." Chiharu said simply, and the ground stopped shaking.

"…What's this book?" Tails said, and he looked through the book which Sam read before.

"…This tells a lot about Soul that don't really know of…he was at this page." Tails said, and Sonic began to read.

"Everyone has darkness within; it's inevitable. Whether one can use it to strengthen or weakness, it isn't clarified yet. However, if you wish to rid yourself of Darkness, it is impossible, as doing so would require large amounts of-"Sonic just stopped there, and he gestured Tails to keep reading.

"Spiritual, mental, and physical energy. On the other hand, you can reduce the amount of Darkness you have to very little. It is a holy spell, but at the same time, near forbidden, inflicting a great amount of stress and pain on the user. Priests used this spell at a time to accept people into a church…if you must try this, be sure there isn't another person, or that person will instead be hit. The spell is in the back of the book, page 305." Tails finished, and he flipped to the page, where, indeed, it had the spell in front of them.

"…Oh…he didn't cast THAT spell. Just the one more powerful." Chiharu said, and he face palmed.

Juuchi continued crying, and Blaze stared at the situation, and noticed Juuchi crying. "…Hey…what's wrong?" Blaze said, and she walked up to Juuchi.

"…It'll be alright…he'll be back." Blaze said, and she looked out the window, into the dark night…

"I'm back!" Sam said suddenly, and the bandages glowed white, and disappeared.

"Man…when she said 'warm and healing'…that wasn't a joke. It was pretty hot in there." Sam said, and he was quickly hugged by a crying Juuchi, and Chiharu nodded to Sam.

"You idiot! You had us worried there!" Rikku then slapped him, and Sam chuckled.

"Not like I'm dead, right?" Sam said, and Rikku slapped him again.

"We thought you were!" Rikku said, and Sam simply smirked.

"What can I say, I die hard!" Sam said, and Rikku was annoyed.

"Now you're just being cocky!" Rikku began to slap him mercilessly, and Sam released the embrace.

"…Y-You've got Chiharu, don't you? Go on…" Sam said, turning away, blushing, and playing with his fingers.

Juuchi simply turned him around, and she sighed. "…Look…I know she isn't here, but…sorry for what happened earlier…I got a b-bit carried away, a-and…" She began to stutter, and Sam, who was still blushing, simply turned around and kissed her on the lips.

"…As wrong as this is…only until we find Nodoka, alright?" Chiharu asked, and the duo nodded.

Suddenly, a pillar of light rose, and Sam pulled out his card, which was glowing white. 4 more arose, and everyone that had one, took out a glowing white card. "…You've all learned more about each other…the time has come. Your offensive card has awoken…use it in a time you need it…the release command is Appello." Chiharu said, and as if it were a cue, a mecha was flying toward the building at a alarmingly fast speed, and Sam smirked, as it landed in front of the building.

"Let's go." Sam said, and he went downstairs, the others following him.

* * *

Well…I completed this before school started…but, unfortunately, something happened, and the login error showed up, meaning I couldn't post it…oh well, it's here now. I'll try to get chapters in; I'll have time on the weekends. So, R&R, hope ya enjoyed it, I'll see ya next!

Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)

Translation:

Appello-Summon, in Latin.

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	6. Offensive

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Offensive

"Tell me where that pesky blue hedgehog is!" Eggman shouted, and a blue blur rushed up to the mecha.

"You wanted me, here's Sonic!" Sonic said, and he tried to kick the cockpit, but to no avail, as the mecha guarded with its hands.

"You have no chance of beating me this time! This time, you're finished, you pesky rat!" Eggman said, and a golden slash of energy was shot, and the mecha dodged it.

"We aren't rats. We're hedgehogs. There's a difference, Eggman." Sam said, and he walked casually next to Sonic, Chiharu summoned.

"Lightning, FIRE!" A bolt flew past the duo of Sam and Sonic, and the mecha dodged the lightning, wrecking a nearby hotdog stand.

"What do you want now, Eggman!" Tails shouted, and he gathered lightning energy in his palm.

"Indeed…what's with the visit, all of a sudden?" Sam said, and a fire ball struck the leg of the mecha.

"You'd better leave, if you know what's good for you!" Blaze said, and she was emitting smoke.

Juuchi ran up to the robot, and using her Swordbend, tried to cut off the arm of the mecha. "I won't let them get hurt…" Juuchi said calmly, and she landed next to the mecha, and Eggman simply grabbed Juuchi.

"Let her go! Chiharu!" Sam summoned Chiharu, and rushed forward.

"Do I really need to?" Eggman said, and he simply used the mecha to flick Sam back to Sonic and the others.

"Hohoho…Forcefield, on!" A green orb surrounded Eggman's mecha, and Sonic smirked.

"Sairai!" Sonic said, and he blue aura surrounded Sonic, and as a blur, he ran up to the mecha, and stopped in front of it.

In a blur of movement, he hit the forcefield hundreds of times, and it wouldn't break. "How…" Sonic said, and he stepped back.

"Gekido, Reiki no Honou!" Blaze said, and blue flames surrounded her.

"You might not want to hit this forcefield…" Eggman said slyly, and Blaze just ignored him.

_"...I can do this…Flames of the twilight sun, gather around my body…merge with the flames presented…and fire yourself upon the enemy. Twilight Cannon!"_ The blue flames turned purple suddenly, and she placed two purple flames together, making one, large purple ball.

She then thrusted her hands forward, the fiery ball of purple fire hitting the forcefield, but to no avail, as the flames dissipated and Eggman laughed. Sam suddenly noticed that Juuchi was burnt, and bruised in multiple placed as well. Tails fired the large amount of lightning gathered in his palm, and as it moved, Sam went in front of it, and blocked it with Chiharu. "What are you doing?! Get out of the way!" Tails said, and Sam shook his head.

"If you haven't noticed something, look at Juuchi!" The group looked at her, and Sonic's eyes widened.

She was bruised and burnt, and tired as well, for some reason. "He's using her energy as the source of the field! If you attack it, it'll damage her, and eventually, we'll have nothing to rescue!" Sam said, and Eggman laughed.

"All I ask is that you give me the Chaos and Sol Emeralds…nothing more, or the girl dies!" Eggman said, and Sam just stared at Juuchi, inside the field.

_"Wait a minute…" _Sam thought, and he called out: "Juuchi! Try to attack the mecha from within!"

"…I'll…try!" Juuchi said, and she cut off a finger of the mecha using her Swordbend.

"You little…you little...!" Eggman said, and Sam just tapped his foot.

"Now…no need to repeat words…wouldn't want to strain yourself, would you?" Sam said playfully, and the mecha threw her out of the forcefield!

"Gotcha!" Sam said, and Juuchi landed on him.

"Meant to catch…but this works." Sam said, and Juuchi got up.

"Thanks." Juuchi said, and Sam nodded.

"No matter…I still have a powerful field with the energy I have left!" Eggman said, and Sam looked at him with a smirk.

"…Juuchi? What was the release command?" Sam asked, and she nodded.

"It was Appello…I know what you're planning to do." Juuchi said, and Sam nodded.

Sam held his white card up to the air, and he shouted: "Appello!"

He suddenly gained a red sword around thrice his size in height, it was slim, but he lifted it with ease. "…This is big…" Sam said, and he gestured the others to do the same.

"Appello!" The others said in unison, and Sonic gained a ring, Blaze gained a ring of blue fire surrounding her, Rikku gained a pair of floating blue daggers, and Tails gained a yellow staff.

"…You're finished. Any last words?" Sonic said, and Eggman simply sighed.

"You won't break this shield." Eggman said confidently, and Sam simply placed the sword in front of him horizontally, and he rushed forward, and slashed once at the shield, and it cracked.

"I don't know how to use this…but I'll try!" Rikku said, and she pointed the two daggers she had toward the mecha…and it did nothing.

Sonic rushed forward, and he said: "Sairai!" He suddenly felt as though he was lighter than air itself, and he disappeared from view.

"I'll do my best!" Tails said, and the card had something engraved in it, which Tails read: _"Audi Famam Illius!"_

_"…I call thee from the land of the living, into the realm of spirits unknown, to cast thine rage of lightning from the skies!"_ Tails said, and Sam looked at him.

_"A mage level spell…it can't be…" _Sam thought andan array of complex shapes appeared under Eggman's mecha, and Sam widened his eyes.

"Run, everyone, away from that array!" Sam said, and the group backed away.

_"…Give me the power; blessing of healing, who I call forth…give me the power to destroy evil!"_ Tails said, and Sam's eyes widened further.

_"…Two mage level spells…this fox…he has such talent for magic…" _Sam thought, and Tails shouted:

_"Rays of Lightning!"_ Tails shouted, and the array disappeared, and Eggman laughed.

"Hohoho…you REALLY think that will…" Eggman then heard a loud 'BOOM' from above him, and Sam's eyes widened, and he rubbed them.

_"…This…is…astounding! To think this fox had such power…he didn't even know the incantation before!" _Sam thought, and he watched, as rays of light, and lightning struck the forcefield, and after 10 hits, it paused, the forcefield almost broken.

"HAH!" Eggman shouted, and Sam backed away.

One final, large ray of light and lightning struck the field, breaking it, and destroying the mecha in a fantastic shower of explosions. Eggman, however, was alive, and he was in a pod. "You may have won here…but my negative self will be here soon…this isn't done yet!" Eggman said, and Tails' staff simply disappeared.

"Tails…that was amazing!" Sam said, and he hugged him, and Tails simply chuckled.

"…What just happened?" Tails said, and Sam's eyes widened.

"…You just defeated the mecha…those spells, that array…" Sam said, and Tails just sighed.

"Whatever…it's gone now isn't it?" Tails said, and Sam simply began to stutter.

"…I'm hungry…let's get something to eat!" Tails said, and the people around to see that, cheered and clapped for the young fox.

"…But…how…?" Sam said, and Juuchi patted him on the head.

"He's still a kit…just leave him be. It's gone now…so, we'll be fine, alright?" Juuchi said happily, and Sam nodded.

"…We should get going, after this…He said his negative self would come after us." Sam said, and Juuchi nodded painfully, as the injuries she had were still there.

Sam kissed Juuchi on the lips, and when she was about to respond to that, Sam cut her off. "Hootai." Sam said, pointing to Juuchi, and she was then covered in bandages.

"Hey…What are you doing?! Get me out of here!" Juuchi said, and Sam just sighed.

"I gained the ability from my grandmother. It allows me to heal someone, regardless of their injuries, just as long as they don't move or talk much…" Sam said, and Juuchi nodded.

Sam then carried Juuchi to where Tails was ordering food, and he pointed to a table nearby. "…Young fox…you sure have something…" Sam said, and he sat down with Sonic, Blaze, and Rikku.

* * *

I managed to type this in one night…inspiration from manga and randomness helps quite a bit. I would've submitted this when I could, but the error…made it impossible at the time. R&R, thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed, I'll see ya next!

Translation:

Audi Famam Illius- I've heard legends of that person. (Latin) Refers to Tails' inspiration, and watching Sonic do all these things, he wants to be at that level of greatness as well.

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	7. Explanations

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Explanations

"You've been to Station Square before, Sonic…Let's head there." Rikku said, and Sonic nodded.

"Right…now that the little…incident is over…let's get going." Sam said, and the group nodded.

"Sonic, lead the way…you know where Station Square is." Sam said, and he nodded.

The sun rose, and the group ran north. "Why are we going so early?" Sonic asked, and Sam sighed.

"We'll have a advantage…Nodoka probably won't get up until a hour after we run forward…and we might make it there before her." Sam said, and Sonic simply shrugged.

"Fine…but I'm kind of tired…" Sonic said, and he yawned.

"Well…since we're running for a bit…might as well get some things settled. Chiharu!" Chiharu then emerged in a ball of yellow light, and it was traveling beside Sam.

"…Can you explain more about some of this stuff…?" Sam asked, and the yellow ball turned into the yellow hedgehog known as Chiharu, simply floating next to Sam, and traveling the same speed as him.

"Hey, look! I'm riding my invisible bicycle!" Chiharu said, and Sam just facepalmed.

"Not that funny when you do it for the millionth time, Chiharu." Sam said, and Chiharu smirked.

"You're just jealous because I have an invisible bicycle!" Chiharu said playfully, and Juuchi floated next to Chiharu, smirking.

Rikku and Tails flew into the air above Chiharu and Juuchi, leaving Sam and Sonic on the ground. "…Must you mock us with your unique abilities?" Sam said, and Sonic sighed.

"C'mon…not their fault if they can fly, or float…just deal with it." Sonic said playfully, and Sam sighed.

"…Y'know what…I just thought of something…" Sam said, and he pulled out his Extreme Gear, and got on it.

"…A lot less tiring." Sam said, and he gestured Chiharu to explain.

"…What do you want me to explain?" Chiharu said, and Sam shrugged.

"…Nothing much…just a lot." Sam said, and Chiharu sighed.

"Fine…when a guy and a girl REALLY like each other, they-"Chiharu was cut off by Sam.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Sam yelled, and Chiharu smirked.

"…Artificial Contracts would be a nice start." Sam said, and Chiharu sighed.

"I already explained everything that could be explained back at the hotel." Chiharu said.

"Really…then what does it symbolize?" Sam asked, and Chiharu's face turned into one of disbelief.

"…Umm…to be truthful…it means love and a connection between the two souls…" Chiharu said, and Sam blushed.

"Oh really…" Sonic said, now getting on his Extreme Gear as well.

"Yup…" Chiharu said smugly, and Sam sighed.

"…And I presume that's why you'd have to…." Sam cleared his throat, and Chiharu nodded.

"…Yeah, pretty much." Chiharu said, and Tails and Rikku got on their Extreme Gears.

"Pretty cool…Why did they even create the Artificial Contract anyways?" Tails said, and Chiharu sighed.

"…To be frank, when you do a wedding, they actually make a Permanent Contract below the surface with a Soulbend." Chiharu said, and Sam's eyes widened, as he was quite surprised.

"Hey…what happens if you do a Permanent Contract with a person that you have an Artificial Contract with?" Rikku asked, and Chiharu thought for a second.

"I guess the two have a stronger bond?" Chiharu said, and Juuchi shrugged.

"I guess…" Juuchi said, and Rikku happily smirked.

"Well then, I guess we're nearby a town…" Sam said, and Sonic nodded.

"…Chiharu…are you really sure about me and Sam…you know…Not that he isn't a good person, but…" Juuchi began to stutter, and Chiharu placed a gloved finger on her lips.

"Yes, I'm sure…despite the fact that…I…well…it's only temporary…and it's your decision on it…" Chiharu blushed slightly, and Juuchi patted his head.

"Alright then…if you insist…I'll tell you something later." Juuchi said, and Chiharu nodded.

"You still haven't answered my question…" Tails said.

"…A long time ago, there was a legendary fighter, incredibly skilled with his partner…and the two were nearly inseparable. In love, they kissed….but accidentally on an array, which glowed pinkish, and the result was three cards. The three cards' symbolism is currently unknown, but that's how the Artificial Contract was created. By an accident." Chiharu said, and Sam sighed.

"You died the same age as I did: how do you know a lot about this?" Sam asked, and Chiharu simply shrugged.

"And another question: what was the array originally going to be used for?" Rikku asked, and Chiharu just sighed.

"One at a time, now…When I was alive, I looked up what happens after death…This was the strangest hypothesis I found, so I looked into it more…when I was beaten to death, protecting a friend of mine, it seemed like the hypothesis was actually right…as for the array, I don't know that." Chiharu said, and Sam sighed.

"That'll be all…for now." Sam said, and Chiharu nodded.

A sign was up ahead: Construction work ahead, please take the left dirt path. The group turned left to, indeed, see a dirt trail and they turned….to fall down into a pit. "…Ow…What's the big deal?" Rikku said, and Sam turned Chiharu into his sword form, and looked up...

"We've got you…traitor!" A black hedgehog looked down at the group, and Sam's eyes lowered.

"…Tails…release the offense card. Quickly!" Sam said, and Tails obliged.

"Appello!" Tails gained his staff, and his mind rushed.

_"…Audi Famam Illius…let the prayer of souls above ensnare and strike the enemy…Binding Light!" _Tails said, and a rope of light ascended from the skies, and wrapped around the hedgehog.

"Get out, hurry! This is a personal matter…" Sam said, and suddenly, a punch struck the hedgehog's back, sending him falling into the pit.

"You seem to be in a bit of trouble, Sonic!" A crimson echidna with a crescent shaped white mark on his chest, looked down at the group, and Sonic smirked.

"Good timing Knuckles! Long time no see!" Sonic said happily.

A crimson and black hedgehog landed in front of the group, and he smirked. "It's been a while…Faker!" He said, and Sonic simply scoffed.

"Nice to see you, faker." Sonic said, and the hedgehog simply growled.

"…Alright then…thanks for saving our lives…but who are you?" Sam asked, confused.

"…Save your breath. More are coming…" Knuckles said, and he turned around, just to be greeted by more people surrounding him.

"Excuse me." Sam then jumped on Sonic's head, and he grabbed the edge.

"Hey, you! Back away…they want me." Sam said, referring to Knuckles.

"Why should I back away?! I'm ready to take them out!" Knuckles said confidently, and he smirked.

"…If you want to fight them, fine…" Sam summoned Chiharu, and he walked next to Knuckles.

"It'll be on your head then!" Sam said, assuming a fighting stance next to the echidna, and Tails flew up, carrying Sonic, Tails, and Blaze.

Rikku did the same with rocket boots she was wearing, and she lifted Juuchi up. The group stood next to each other, as a mob of hedgehogs, foxes, vixens, cats, and other species surrounded the group, and Sam smirked. "Appello." Sam, Sonic, Blaze, Tails, and Rikku said, and with their respective weapons shown and drawn, they assumed a fighting stance…

* * *

Well, another chapter done…the weekend's almost at hand, but I'll have to train…fortunately, the tournament for Super Smash Bros Brawl, APEX!, will be a month later, May 9th and 10th, so I'll try to balance fiction with training…and but of course, studies and actual life. R&R, hope ya enjoyed, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	8. Truth

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Truth

"Blaze, look out!" Sonic kicked a hedgehog behind her, and Blaze nodded, and burned him.

"A lot here…had you left; you wouldn't be in this hassle!" Sam said, and he sliced the weapon of a kit, and Tails closed his eyes.

_"Audi Famam Illius…Thunder of the skies, be my blade…give me to power to restrain and burn! Thunder Blade!" _An array suddenly formed, and everyone ran out of the array, which then disappeared.

The others were confused as to why, and suddenly, a large white sword hit the ground where the array was, and electric pulse were sent through the floor, paralyzing, if not killing the group with electricity. "Good going!" Knuckles said, and he did a thumbs up to Tails.

"Why are you here?" Sonic asked, and Shadow just sighed.

"We were on the way to Tails' place to see how you were doing; we haven't seen you in a while, faker…it seems you made some friends?" Shadow said, and the ebony hedgehog sighed.

"Yeah…pretty much. You know everyone but Sam, Juuchi, Chiharu…and…well, Nodoka." Sonic said, and Sam's fur briefly turned red, before reverting back to its original state.

"Pleasure to meet you." Sam said, and Chiharu came out in his hedgehog form.

Chiharu simply hit his back several times, and he sighed. "I need a chiropractor…" Chiharu sighed, and Sam cleared his throat.

"More people in the group…it just keeps getting larger, doesn't it…Same thing what he said, yada yada…" Chiharu said, and he leaned against a nearby tree.

"…Nice to meet you." Juuchi said, and she smiled.

"Where's the other one?" Knuckles asked, and Rikku sighed.

"…Something happened and we're in the middle of searching for her. She's headed to Station Square." Rikku said, and Knuckles sighed.

"Well, we can get there before her. Shadow, where's your emerald?" Knuckles said, and Shadow's eyes widened.

"…Hate to say it, but I left my emerald at Rose's." Shadow said, and Sonic smirked.

"Well then…how about a little friendly competition?" Sonic asked Shadow, to which the ebony hedgehog simply replied with a scoff.

"Really…I know I'll beat you!" Shadow said, and in a blur of blue and black, the two hedgehogs rushed down the road.

"…They're rather…" Sam began, and Knuckles smirked.

"Competitive? They've always been like this." Knuckles said, and Sam shrugged.

"Let's go…before we lose sight of them." Juuchi said, and she began to run forward, and the others followed.

Around 20 minutes later, the two hedgehogs stopped in front of a town, and they were panting heavily. "Hah…I won!" Sonic said happily, and Shadow scoffed.

"It was a tie, what are you talking about?!" Shadow said arrogantly, and Sonic smirked.

"Can you at least wait a bit…?" Sam said, and Sonic sighed.

"Well, you know him…never afraid to rush into things." Blaze said, and suddenly, a group of minks came to the group.

"…State your business here, or leave." A mink said, and Sam backed away.

"…We're headed for Station Square." Sonic said, and one of the minks rushed up to the backing away Sam, and attempted to hit him…but to no avail, as the hedgehog blocked with Chiharu, and the minks gasped.

"…The time has come…hasn't it?" A black hedgehog stepped out from behind the group, and Sam gasped as well.

"…It's been quite a while, hasn't it…?" The black hedgehog looked at Sam with his brown eyes, and Sam's mouth was agape.

Sam regained his composure, and he nodded quickly. "…Yes, it's been far too long…father. From what I recall, we last met half a year ago…May I ask what are you doing here?" Sam said, and the ebony hedgehog nodded.

"…Your time is coming, son. Your time is coming." He replied, and Sam sighed.

"What do you mean by that?" Sam asked, and Sonic tried to walk further, and was stopped in his tracks by some kind of barrier.

"What the…" Sonic said, and Sam sighed.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, and his father simply sighed.

"State your name, and have your Soulbend in his free form." Sam sighed, and he cleared his throat.

"My name is Sam Kim." He then summoned Chiharu, and the force field appeared as a thin, blue line.

"You are the Chosen…" The force field said, and it dissipated.

"What does it mean by this 'Chosen' business? Why am I it? What is it?" Sam questioned, and his father scoffed.

"All in due time, will everything be answered…" His father replied, and he walked away.

"…As the Chosen…you have a duty…to destroy the one of darkness eternal, and place a era of peace for another 1004 and a 1/2 years." A large red mink said, and Sam was trying to process all this in his mind; but of course he couldn't do something as important as that!

_"All this started just started to avenge my brother, and now…I'm in this mess?! Of all the people, why me?!" _Sam thought, and he sighed.

"Look, as much as I'm the 'Chosen' or whatever, I can't do such a important job! It'll be the end of me…probably." Sam said, and a white mink stepped forth.

"But of course, know this; you are not going to do this task alone…you will, or maybe already have met up with one that may help you, and that person alone may help you on this task…as the Chosen, you already have some skills at hand, but that is insufficient to do the task. With the power within me and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the power of Order!" A white light shone from above, and surrounded Sam, who was lifted up slightly, and he was sent back down to the ground face first, the light dissipating.

"Oww…" Sam said, and he sighed.

"For the power of order, it caused a bit of disorder in my head…" Sam said, and he got up.

"Who are you people?" Sam asked, and the white mink sighed.

"Excuse me for my rudeness. My name is Decretus, master of order." The mink bowed, his voice one of a elder, and a calm one at that…The red mink stepped up.

"My name is Insendis, master of fire…Your skills are great, but not good enough to take on a perilous journey, such as this…With the power within me, and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the raging power of the fire within!" Sam was lifted into the air once more by a red light, and he fell to the ground again, the light dissipating. Incendius, too bowed, and had a voice soft yet strict, and a yellow mink stepped forth.

"My name is Levitas, master of lightning and thunder... Your skills are shockingly well for your age, even as the Chosen…You may be strong…but are you strong enough? Perhaps not…but with the power within me, and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the surging power of thunder and lightning!" Sam was lifted into the air by a yellow light, and he fell to the ground once more, and the light dissipated. He bowed, his voice being one full of energy, but yet he was calm and contained, and finally a blue mink stepped up.

"My name is Vent, master of wind…Young hedgehog, you may be the Chosen…but do not think that is a excuse to take a life…Choose your decisions in life wisely, for it is your only one…With the power within me, and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the rushing power of the wind!" The mink bowed, and Sam heard a voice that was sharp and quick, and Sam was lifted into the air a final time by a blue light, and he fell face first, rubbing his head painfully...

He quickly got up, and said: "No need to bow. We just came here to pass to Station Square…now if you excuse us, we must-"Sam was cut off by his stomach, and he sighed.

"…Get something to eat?" Sonic said, and Sam nodded.

"How can you boys have such a high metabolism? I'm still stuffed from the last time we ate…" Juuchi said.

"Do you really need to eat?" Sam asked, and Juuchi shrugged.

"No, but it helps regain my energy faster, sleeping and turning into a weapon aside, and it makes me feel full." Juuchi stated, and Sam nodded.

"…Station Square…it should be right after this dirt trail ends. Are you ready, Sam?" Sonic asked, and he nodded.

"...She either should be there now, or she should be there after us…although, it's possible that she should be there before us as well…After all this…I didn't come here for failure…no. I'll bring her back…no matter what happens!" Sam said courageously, and he looked onward, as the dirt path was going on… and the others went inside a tent, eating food. _"Nodoka…I've done all this…"_ Sam thought, and he sighed.

_"All this, for you…I don't care what happens…I'll bring you back, no matter what!" _Sam thought, and he was then patted strongly by Decretus.

"…Young hedgehog…you have quite the personality…and determination. No doubt that you will succeed in bringing her back." Decretus said, and Sam was startled.

"Wait, did you read my mind or something?!" Sam asked, and Decretus simply laughed.

"Reading your mind is a ability out of my strength…Reading your face, however, it's quite obvious…young one, you just may be able to stop the darkness for good…your strength is quite large, even as the Chosen…I believe you may end this…even though your are merely the second in this position." Decretus said, smiling, and Sam was wondering about one thing: "Whatever happened to the first Chosen?" Sam asked, and Decretus simply turned away.

"That, young one is what you will find out…all in due time, young one…all in due time…" Decretus' expression turned grim, and Sam was about to say something…but he closed his mouth in fear and thought…all in due time will his questions be answered…but when will they exactly was what the hedgehog wondered.

_"All in due time…I suppose I'll learn soon." _Sam said, and he nodded.

"Hey, Sam! C'mon, let's eat!" Sonic shouted from the tent, and Sam nodded, his stomach near empty, and walked up to the tent, smiling, but hiding so many questions within…

* * *

The questions will indeed be answered…all in due time. The weekend's ending sadly, and I must go to school for 5 days as usual…leaving me not much time to write…And for those who think 'What happened to the other characters?! You're totally Gary Stuing!'…Your urges of character development and interaction will be satisfied next chapter. I'll try to get a chapter or two in, possibly. Hope ya enjoyed, R&R, I'll see ya next!

Translations:

**Decretus:** A name based on the Latin word 'Decretum' meaning 'Order'.

**Incendius:** A name based on the Latin word 'Incendia' meaning 'Fire'.

**Levitas:** A name doubling as the Latin word 'Levitas' meaning 'Lightning'.

**Vent: **A name based on the Latin word 'Ventus' meaning 'Wind'.

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	9. Cowardice and Courage

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Cowardice and Courage

"…Nodoka…it's been a while." Sam said, and walking up to the regimental hedgehog, he nervously blushed.

"Look…about everything…I should've talked to you earlier…and I guess trying to catch up to you…wasn't the best idea…" Sam said nervously, and he felt his throat tighten.

_"Throat…tightening…stomach feeling weird…mind racing with all this…I'll admit it…I'm love-shy a little." _Sam thought, and he twiddled his fingers.

"…Look…Nodoka…I just want to say...I'm sorry…please…come back to me…to us…please…" Sam began to tear, and the regimental hedgehog looked in his eyes.

"…I'll be waiting…" she said, and she slowly began to fade away, and the grassy meadow that the hedgehogs were in, began to fade as well.

"…Nodoka…please…come back…please…" Sam said desperately, as tears came pouring from his eyes, as he fell to the floor in desperation.

The regimental hedgehog disappeared, as did the meadow, and Sam was there…on the blank floor of nothingness, and he wept. "Nodoka…" he whispered in a vain attempt to get her back, but of course, to no avail, as he simply wept on…

* * *

"Nodoka…please…" Sam whispered, and the hedgehog found himself in a bed, tears coming out of his eyes.

"…I need some air…" Sam said, shaking his head, and he went outside, the moonlight shining through the trees, and he sighed.

"Nodoka…" Sam muttered, and he wiped the tears off of his face.

"…You're almost there, Sam." Blaze leaped from the roof of the tree house, and Sam sighed.

"…I just don't know…what will happen? I mean…so much can happen. She can push me away…" Sam said, his voice a bit shaky.

"She can also come back to us as easily. You've got to remember this; you're not the only one worried about her. We all are, Sam." Blaze said, and Sam shivered a bit; it was a bit cold.

"…Aren't you supposed to get some kind of magic…over flame?" Blaze said, and Sam nodded.

"Order, Flame, Thunder, and Wind." Sam simply stated, and he moved closer to Blaze.

"…What are you doing?!" Blaze asked, and she backed away.

"Your body naturally radiates body heat, so I figured…" Sam said, and he rubbed the back of his head.

"…Fine…just don't get too close...if you catch my drift." Blaze said, and Sam nodded.

"Alright…" Sam said, and he walked up to her, feeling warmth radiating from her.

"…She'll be alright, if I know her." Juuchi walked outside towards Sam and Blaze.

"What does she actually intend to do?" Blaze asked, and Juuchi lowered her head.

"…Look, I'll tell you two…but don't tell anyone else, alright?" Juuchi said, and the duo nodded.

"…As a child…her past was not the best. She was beaten randomly, not to mention treated like a social outcast…as her father died when she was young, and her mother was the only person she could turn to in times of need…" Juuchi said, and Sam was intrigued…

"…Any reason why she was treated like an outcast?" Sam asked, and Juuchi nodded.

"…Yes…Something happened. When her father died…she visited his grave. Everyday, she would go there…praying that he would come back…Others saw this, and used this as a weak spot to torment her…she let loose in anger, and began to assault the people doing so…as a result, they were afraid. They told everyone to stay away from her…which is the reason she's rather…clingy to the people she knows…and more importantly, loves. She ran for your own good, Sam." Juuchi said, and Sam nodded slowly.

"…I am aware of that…" Sam said, and Juuchi nodded.

"…My best guess is that she's going to her father's grave…not to mention also to visit her mother." Juuchi said, and Sam nodded.

"…I don't blame her. Losing someone that you had a connection with…even the smallest connection…it can change your life." Sam said, and Blaze nodded.

"My…young ones…you sure are up early." Sam and Blaze turned to face Decretus, as the white mink was stretching.

"Indeed…what are you doing up this early?" The white mink looked down at the trio, and Sam sighed.

"I awoke from quite the nightmare…Blaze awoke nearly after I, and Juuchi…indeed, why are you up this late?" Sam asked, and he turned to Juuchi, who was playing with her fingers.

"…We Soulbends don't really need to sleep, or eat, or drink anything. It helps us to regain energy quicker, but we don't have to…I ran to Station Square and back…boy, the city doesn't really sleep much." Juuchi said, and Sam's face was just in utter shock.

"…Please tell if that you know where her father's grave is…or her former house…" Sam pleaded, and the green hedgehog simply nodded.

"…I am aware of where it is. I'll show you today…once everyone gets up, that is. What time is it?" Sam checked his watch, and said: "It's seven. I presume in around 2 hours…everyone should be awake." Sam said nervously, and Juuchi sighed.

"…Are you ready?" Juuchi said, and Sam just looked her in the eyes.

"…I'm scared…To be frank…all this...I try so hard to do one of the hardest tasks in my life, and yet…I'm scared." Sam said, and Decretus placed his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"…Young one…sometimes fear clouds our vision…sometimes…our hope give out…" Sam began to tear a bit, but he continued.

"…Yet sometimes…we are reminded…that even the smallest amount of courage…can be just what you need." Decretus smiled, and Sam's face perked up.

"…Courage…right…thank you, Decretus." Sam turned, and Decretus walked away, smirking.

"…Even though I fear it may go wrong…better to have loved and lost…and now chasing, then never to have loved at all! I'll go see her again…I won't back down…not when my quest is nearing its end…and the next's beginning." Sam said, and he smirked.

"…Jeez…so energetic in the middle of the morning…can you keep quiet…I'm trying to sleep…" Rikku said, and the hedgehog sighed.

"Sorry…" Sam said gently. _"After all this…It's all come down to this…its showtime!"_ Sam thought and with that, he looked at the sun, just starting to rise.

"…Aww, now look at what you've done…" Rikku said, and Sam sighed.

"Get an eye mask, or something. There should be one at Station Square." Sam said, and he recalled the incident where he tried to get an eye mask…it ended up being quite the trip.

Rikku got up from her bed, and he walked up to the trio. "What time did you wake up?" Rikku said, and Sam thought.

"…From what I can guess, I awoke at 6:15. Blaze awoke at 6:16…and Juuchi…well, she doesn't need to sleep." Sam said, and Juuchi nodded.

"Well…now that I'm awake…anything to eat?" Rikku asked, and Sam questioned that in his mind as well, as Station Square was a good 200 miles away…and they would have to eat.

"…Let's just eat something when we get there, shall we?" Blaze suddenly spoke, and Sam nodded quickly.

The sound of multiple footsteps was heard, and Decretus, Incendius, Levitas, and Vent appeared, and they leaped down from the tree house.

"Let us begin…Order." Decretus said, and a white aura covered the mink.

"Wind." Vent said, and a blue aura covered him.

"Fire." Incendius said, and a red aura surrounded him.

"Thunder, Lightning." Levitas said, and two orbs of yellow light fused into one, and they spread, and surrounded him.

The four of them then sat there, and closed their eyes. "We shouldn't disturb them…" Sam said, and the trio of Blaze, Rikku, and Juuchi nodded.

"Disturb who?" Sonic suddenly appeared next to Blaze, and she jumped in surprise.

"Sonic…good to see you up and early." Sam said, and Sonic sighed.

"It's not just me that's up, so is everyone." Sonic said, and he pointed to the room they were sleeping in, to see Knuckles, Shadow, and Tails standing in front of them.

"…Oh. Why so early?" Juuchi said, and Sonic sighed.

"We figured that we're so close…why not?" Knuckles said, and Sam nodded.

"…Right…let's head out." Sam said, and the four minks stopped, and stood up.

"…The city's north. Head there…we have no doubt that you will succeed! Once you have succeeded, bring her, along with you." Incendius said, and the others nodded.

"…Let's go!" Sam said, and he leaped into the air, landing on the ground, and he gestured for the group to follow him, and he ran north.

The others did so as well, and as they left, Decretus sighed. "Anything the matter, Decretus?" Incendius said, and the white mink could just look at the group taking off.

"…I have no doubt that you will succeed, young one…but having doubts about your friend…I have my doubts…something will happen…" Decretus said, and he looked into the sky…

* * *

I told ya…I would have it by today. The next chapter will be released quite a bit later…trying to type as much as I can and balance everything in my life. Hope ya enjoyed, R&R, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	10. Reunited

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Reunited

"We're here…" Sonic said, and he took a deep breath.

"Ah…good old Station Square. We've had some adventures here, right?" Sonic asked Tails, who nodded.

"Yeah…" Sonic said, and he recalled the times he had in the city.

"…Flashback time for you…I've got my problem here…Juuchi, you said you knew where her former house is?" Sam said, and Juuchi nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go." Juuchi began to run north, and Sam followed her.

"Hey, wait up!" Rikku said, and she followed Sam.

Shadow simply sighed and tapped his foot. "Well, we're here. What do you want to do besides reminisce?" Shadow asked, and Sonic simply sighed.

"…I think I've got an idea…" Sonic said, and he headed into a giant building nearby…

* * *

"…Well…this is it." Juuchi said, and Sam sighed.

"…Wow. I never actually expected this. To be honest, I actually expected her to be at least high class…but this is rather…" Sam said, and Juuchi smirked.

"Awkward? It really isn't much…but there are some pretty good things about it. It keeps you warm in the winter, cold in the summer, without electricity. It's actually just where it is." Juuchi said, and Sam nodded.

"…Not bad…think she's home?" Sam asked, and Juuchi nodded.

"Probably. She got a 12 hour head start; I wouldn't be surprised." Juuchi said, and they gazed upon the 2 story white house in awe.

"…Still got to say, this isn't bad…Ring it." Sam said, and Juuchi, sweating a bit, rang the doorbell.

"…Go away!" Sam's eyes widened as he heard Nodoka's voice inside the house, and he shed a tear before speaking.

"…Nodoka. Is anything wrong in there?" Sam asked softly, and Juuchi did a thumbs up to him.

"Is anything wrong?! You're here…I told you, I want to…but I can't! Just go!" Nodoka said, and suddenly, another voice came out.

"…Nodoka, why are you being so rude to these people? It's not like it'll be the end of you. C'mon, I'll open the door…" The door suddenly opened, and a scarlet hedgehog with brown eyes appeared in front of them, wearing a long blue dress, and the hedgehog smiled.

"Welcome into our home…friends of my daughter?" Sam simply nodded, and Juuchi…simply turned into a ball of green light, and went inside Nodoka.

"…It's a long story…I guess she's explained her absence?" Sam said, and the hedgehog nodded.

"…Please, come in. I'm Scarlet, Nodoka's mother…and you are?" Sam simply walked in, and he blushed a bit.

"…I'm Sam. Sam Kim. Nice to meet you." Sam said, and Scarlet sighed.

"…Nodoka dear, why are you so retracted suddenly? …Have you been abusing my daughter?!" She suddenly had a blue aura around her, and Sam stepped back.

"No, I haven't! Please, calm yourself!" Sam said, backing away quickly, and Nodoka looked at him.

"…Mom, he's telling the truth. He's the one who saved me." Nodoka spoke, and the blue aura dissipated, her scarlet fur returning.

"…So you're the one? I owe you quite a bit…please, sit down." Scarlet smiled, and Sam nodded.

Sam sat down on a nearby chair, and simply sat in front of Nodoka, who was visibly very angry and confused, but trying to hide it. Scarlet went to the kitchen, and gestured for the duo to talk. "…Sam, can you come here for a moment? I want to speak with you…privately." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded, following her outside.

"Now that we're out here…WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"Look, I didn't come here to play games; I got rid of most of the darkness within me, Nodoka…not to mention some witnesses to prove it." Sam said, and Nodoka tapped her foot impatiently.

"If you came here to tell me that, then you can just leave now." Nodoka said, and Sam shook his head.

"…Summon Juuchi in her hedgehog form." Nodoka did so, and Juuchi came out.

"…He's right, y'know…I told them about your…moments. He's had his fair share of moments as well…if you would be so kind to make up, it would be nice." Juuchi said, and she turned into a ball of green light, and entered Nodoka's head.

"…Look, at the very least, just hang out a bit." Sam said, and Nodoka pouted.

"I don't believe what you're saying here. You're saying you got rid of most of the darkness within…how?" Sam sighed, and he just tapped his foot.

"Keep Juuchi out, alright?" Nodoka summoned Juuchi, and she nodded.

"…It's true. I witnessed the act. He did a near forbidden light spell to get rid of most of the darkness." Juuchi said, and Nodoka turned away from him.

"…Look, even if you have, what about the mental bond of my darkness to you?! It'll still be…" Sam cut her off.

"Of no use, considering the amount of darkness within me is very little, compared to yours, not to mention everyone else's, and to create a mental bond with me, your darkness must find mine, and that's going to be hard for it. See now?" Sam said, and Nodoka crossed her arms and gave him the 'I like you, but this is too much for me to handle and I really still can't risk that, because if I do it'll be the end of me' look.

"I like you, but this is too much for me to handle, and I really still can't risk that, because if I do…I just won't live with it…To put you in such a risk…it's just…I can't." Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"Look, I'm doing this out of my free will…even though it'll be a risk to me; you know I am who I am. You can break me out of it…considering even a full bond of darkness will be weak, considering my amount of it now." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"...Even so, I won't risk that on you, y'know. Even if you get a bond…there's still a chance…I won't." Nodoka began to calm down a bit more, and she turned around.

"Just follow my lead." Juuchi lipped, and Sam nodded.

"…Nodoka…if you aren't willing to…" Juuchi said, and the hedgehog to find Sam and Juuchi looking in their eyes, and Juuchi snuggled on Sam's chest, and she looked up at him, and leaned forward…only to be interrupted by a loud "HOLD IT!" from Nodoka, who was simply tearing.

The duo looked at her, and Sam widened his eyes. "…I…don't want to lose someone…not again…" Juuchi sighed, and Sam walked up to the crying regimental hedgehog, and patted her back gently.

"…Nodoka…I know what happened to your father…it's alright…" Sam gently said, and the crying Nodoka hugged him, Sam returning the embrace.

"…It's alright…it'll be alright…" Sam was tearing now, just remembering his brother.

Juuchi entered Nodoka, and Sam sighed. "…I'll walk you to his grave, alright?" Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

* * *

"Woo! 500 rings in the bag!" Sonic said gleefully, and he walked out of the pinball converter.

"…We came here to play…human pinball...it's been thirty minutes. Aren't you dizzy?" Blaze asked, tapping her foot.

"…Don't worry…I'll be fi-"Sonic was then cut off, and he covered his mouth, running to the bathroom.

"…Sonic, wait up!" Tails said, before getting the same feeling, and he ran after Sonic.

"…Is this really that amusing?" Blaze said, and she simply stood in the middle, and an engulfing light spun her around, and she was shot upward by a pinball launcher.

"What's going on?!" Blaze said, as she was in a little fire tornado, and was hitting herself upward.

"…I'm getting dizzy…" Blaze said, and Sonic came in as well.

"Good to see ya! Having fun?" Sonic asked, and Blaze sighed.

"…I'm feeling nauseous…" Blaze said, and Sonic laughed.

"It happens to everyone…just hold out." Sonic said, and Blaze unnoticeably nodded as she hit herself upward again.

* * *

"…Well, here we are." Nodoka said, and the duo walked through a graveyard.

"…I'm sorry this happened to you…" Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…We share a similar loss…I suppose you know how it's like to lose someone…" Nodoka said, and Sam nodded forlornly.

"I do…and the feeling isn't so good." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Here we are. My father's coffin…" Nodoka said, and she placed her hands together in prayer.

Sam simply waited around a minute, and the regimental hedgehog got up once more, tearing. Sam startled, he placed on a calm face. "…Hey now…don't cry…he wouldn't want you to be like this…" Sam said, wiping the tears off her face, just stroked her cheek gently with his gloved hand, and Sam smiled.

"…You're right…C'mon. Let's go back; mom's probably worried as to where we went." Sam nodded in agreement, and the duo began to walk back.

* * *

"…Agh…my head's spinning…excuse me!" Blaze said, running to the bathroom, and Sonic laughed.

She came out shortly after, and Sonic smirked. "So? How was it?" Sonic said, and Blaze sighed.

"It was fun…nauseating to no end, but fun nonetheless!" Blaze said happily, and Shadow walked up to the duo, stumbling.

"…Hey…hey…hey, I'm talking…I'm taking to you…faker…" Shadow said, obviously drunk.

"…You drank a little?" Sonic said, and the ebony hedgehog nodded, and he fell in front of the two.

"…Hey…Shad wake up!" Sonic said, kicking his head, only to find out he was sleeping, evidently by his snoring.

"…Hey, Sonic…I came to tell ya that Shadow got a bit…" Knuckles walked up to the sleeping Shadow, and Sonic chuckled.

"…Oh." Knuckles looked down at the sleeping hedgehog, and picked him up.

He simply placed his mouth close to the hedgehog's ear, and chuckled a bit. "WAKE UP!" Knuckles shouted, and the hedgehog awoke, startled immensely, and he looked at the situation.

"…Let go!" Shadow kicked him in the face, and he landed gently on the ground below, and Knuckles rubbed his head.

"Hey!" Knuckles was about to punch the ebony hedgehog, who sighed, and Blaze simply threw a fireball in between the two of them.

"…If you're going to fight, do it outside of Casinopolis." Blaze said, and the duo sighed.

* * *

"…Wait up!" Rikku then ran to the duo, and Sam was a bit startled.

"…I take it you were trying to catch up?" Sam said, and Rikku nodded.

Rikku then pointed to Nodoka, and Rikku simply sighed. "Look, if you haven't forgiven him, do it. He's been a rampaging blur through towns and everything! C'mon…do it…you know you want to…" Rikku said playfully, and Nodoka sighed.

"…I would…should…but won't. I won't risk his safety for something as simple as-"Nodoka was then cut off by Sam.

"Love? To be frank…I've come all this way…and if you'd turn me down now…it'd be pretty inconsiderate of you. I spent all this time…rampaging…thinking about everything that's happened…and I've realized…all I ever wanted was vengeance, and no one to help me with the trials with it. But…I've tried so hard on those two things…I forgot about everything else. Friends…family…possibly even to the extent of knowing what actual social life was…even my love life I forgot about…now that I know all this…I don't want to be the old me. Not anymore." Sam declared, and Nodoka simply chuckled, and it grew into a laugh.

"…That, by FAR, had to be one of the cheesiest things I've heard in my life…" Nodoka was then calming down, and Sam was tapping his foot.

The regimental hedgehog cleared her throat, and spoke once more. "…However…if you're really honest…" She placed her hand on Sam's shoulder.

"…I'm with you." Nodoka said, and she pecked him on the cheek, and Sam blushed a bit.

"…Nodoka…it's good to have ya back!" Sam said happily, and he hugged the hedgehog tightly, and Nodoka gently pushed him off.

"Easy there…Just because I'm back in the party, doesn't mean I'm going steady with you…" Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"…Alright, maybe I am!" Nodoka said playfully, and she hugged him tightly, and Sam chuckled.

"…Wait…" Chiharu suddenly came out of Sam, along with Juuchi Yosamu.

"…Ready?" Chiharu said, and Juuchi nodded.

The Artificial Contract array was set up beneath the duo, and Chiharu winked at Sam. "What's going on?" Nodoka asked, and Sam sighed.

Juuchi whispered in her ear, and then went next to Chiharu. "On three…one…two…three!" Chiharu said, and the both of them said in unison: "Articon, START!"

The array glowed pink, and Rikku watched on. "…It's to make sure. Heck, you also get some benefits…it's a win-win situation." Sam said, and walking up to Nodoka, he leaned in.

"…It's been far too long…" Nodoka said, and as she shed a sole tear of happiness, their lips locked, and the duo embraced.

After quite a while, Scarlet came outside, and saw the duo, and smirked. "Articon FINISHED!" Chiharu and Juuchi Yosamu said in unison, and three blank cards appeared as the array faded away.

The duo were lip locking for quite a while, and after around three minutes, the duo stopped, and looked at each other with loving eyes, smirking as well, and Nodoka picked up her three cards. Their eyes still burning with passion, they hugged, only for Scarlet to clear her throat quite loudly, and the startled couple looked at Scarlet, who was smiling. "Mother…I can explain, you see, he was quite…I mean he was…I mean…" Nodoka began to panic and stutter, and Sam…was quite calm. Chiharu and Juuchi, speechless, simply went inside their respective partners, and Rikku…was still a bit awestruck about the make out.

"He's the one, isn't he?" Scarlet said, and Sam chuckled, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Don't worry, I approve. I see he's a good guy." Scarlet said jokingly, and the duo blushed heavily.

"…Woo, go Nodoka!" Rikku said, and the startled couple looked at the vixen, who smirked.

"Just invite me to the wedding, alright?" Scarlet said jokingly, and the duo, once again blushed.

"…Mother, can I take off once more…he's…I just…" Nodoka said, and Scarlet nodded forlornly.

"Leaving me alone again…Alright, I understand. But just stay here for a couple of days; you won't mind much, will you?" Scarlet said, perking up, and Nodoka shook her head.

"Alright…we should tell the others." Nodoka said.

"…Umm…Where are the others?" Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"I'm not sure…I just came here with Juuchi to…y'know." Sam said, and the regimental hedgehog sighed.

"…Alright. I'll be searching for where they are. Stay here." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded as she sped off.

"…Just don't abuse her." Scarlet said, and Sam nodded.

The trio went inside Scarlet's house, and they sat. "…You're trying not to rant about the things I shouldn't do?" Sam asked, and the concerned mother nodded.

"…I see you're a good person…but I just have a odd feeling something's going to happen to her…you're just lucky I'm not giving you the contract." Scarlet said, and Sam shrugged in confusion.

"…A contract?" Sam asked, and the scarlet hedgehog pulled out a incredibly long piece of paper.

Sam scanned through the contract, and he widened his eyes. "…This is incredibly detailed…so much things…I, indeed am lucky to not get the contract…" Sam said in awe, and Scarlet placed the paper in a bottle.

"...How did you two meet, anyway?" Scarlet asked, and Rikku sighed.

"…It's a long story…" Sam said, and he began to speak…

* * *

"…There you are!" Nodoka said, and she walked up to the group.

"Well, it's a surprise to see you here, Nodoka. Had your moments with Sam yet?" Sonic said playfully, and Nodoka slapped him.

"…Maybe. Anywho, you wouldn't mind staying here for a couple of days? My mom says that if I want to leave, I must stay here for a bit." The group shook their heads, and Nodoka nodded.

"Thanks. I'll wait for you at 98-46, Haven Parkway." Nodoka said, and she sped off.

"It's been a while since we've seen her, right?" Blaze said, and Sonic nodded.

"Yeah…I'm getting a bit hungry. Let's get something to eat." Knuckles said, and Sonic nodded.

The group walked up to a nearby restaurant, and sat down…

"…Back." Nodoka said, and she entered the house just as Sam was finished explaining.

Sam tackle hugged her to the point where they were both outside, and they both were sent to the ground laughing. "They said they could stay here for some days." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded, the both of them getting up.

"Alright!" Sam said happily, and Scarlet looked at the duo.

Nodoka looked at her with the 'Did you give him…it?' face, and said: "Did you give him…it?" Nodoka asked, and Scarlet shook her head.

"Nope. Like I said, I see he's a good person. If he can stop you, but more powerful and brutal, of course he's a good guy!" Scarlet said, and Nodoka looked at Sam.

"You told her?" Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"I figured it would be better if she knew…it would save a lot of confusion in the long run." Sam said, and his stomach growled.

"…Let's get something to eat. My treat." Sam said, and he bowed to Scarlet, who simply sighed.

"Thank you." Sam said, and he walked north, searching for a restaurant.

_"Nodoka…good luck."_ Scarlet thought, and she closed the door…

* * *

Well…here's another one. Reunited once more, Sam and Nodoka go outside to get something to eat, Sonic and company are eating at a restaurant, and Scarlet…well, she's just concerned. Hope ya enjoyed, R&R, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	11. Decisions

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer:

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Decisions

"Thanks for the meal." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded, and the duo began to walk.

"No problem…it's been quite a while since we've eaten like this, hasn't it?" Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Yeah…I've been living on cup noodles ever since I ran away…I don't even like the taste of it much anymore!" Nodoka said, and Sam chuckled.

"…I got quite some information from Juuchi…including the fact that…you were quite lonely, that you wanted a person, not a Soulbend, to be with you." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded forlornly.

"Yeah, pretty much." Nodoka said, and Sam continued.

"Also how you were crying every night about it…" Nodoka sighed.

"And how you were just as heartbroken as I was…" Nodoka then slapped him, and she was a bit irritated.

"I get the point!" Nodoka said, and Sam chuckled.

"…Oh, and before I forget…After we're done here, I've got to take you somewhere for a bit. Is that alright?" Sam asked, and Nodoka nodded.

"Sure, after all, where are we headed after that, anyhow?" Nodoka asked, and Sam shrugged.

"Wherever the winds of fate take us, Nodoka. Wherever they take us." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…So, you mean pretty much anywhere." The ebony hedgehog nodded, and Nodoka chuckled.

"Yeah, pretty much…after all this, I'm not even sure as to where, or what I'm supposed to go, or do. All this….it's kind of confusing. The minks back there said that I was the Chosen; lord knows what that's supposed to mean. The lights, the abilities…" Sam thought aloud, and Nodoka sighed.

"All in due time, you'll figure out. Don't worry…" Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"I hope so…" Sam said, and the duo sped off…

* * *

"Well, I'm stuffed…Check!" Sonic said, and a waiter came up to the group.

Sonic paid for the group, and they left the restaurant. "We should meet them at the address." Shadow said, and Sonic nodded.

"Race you there!" Sonic said gleefully, and the duo began to run.

"Sonic, wait up!" Tails ran after the duo, and the others followed.

* * *

"Mom, I'm-"Nodoka was suddenly cut off by the sight of a large mecha, pointing a gun to Scarlet's forehead.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot upward, and Nodoka pulled out the cause of it: a shining white card. "Point the card upward, and shout 'Appello', Nodoka." Sam whispered, and Nodoka pointed the card upward.

"Appello!" Nodoka said, and she suddenly gained a white and black sword, roughly her size, and quite thin.

She sliced the mecha, and the mecha was destroyed quickly. Sam rushed in, and helped Scarlet up. "Are you alright?" Sam asked, and Scarlet nodded.

"A bit dazed…my stomach and arm hurts a bit, but aside, I'm fine." Scarlet said, and she sat down.

"What happened here…"Nodoka asked, and hundreds of footsteps were heard, and they went outside, only to see tons of robots headed to Nodoka's house.

"…Heh. Just numbers, no strength. C'mon, Nodoka!" Sam said, and Nodoka nodded, leaving Scarlet in the house.

"…Well, you got to get out, what ya got to get out…" Rikku then came out of the bathroom, and seeing the two hedgehogs, she sped after them.

* * *

"Well, well…Eggman's trying to play around huh? Let's crash his party!" Sonic said, and he spin-dashed through some of the robots.

"Appello!" Sonic shouted, lifting his card into the air, and a ring appeared on his gloved hand, and he smirked.

"Sairai, Denkō!" Sonic shouted, and his ring glowing blue, he disappeared from sight.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, sudden gales of wind pushed the robots all over the place, and they were destroyed beyond repair. Sonic, then coming into sight again, his ring's glow dying, smirked. "So?" Sonic said, and Knuckles pointed farther north, to see many more mechas approaching.

"Heh, no problem!" Sonic said, his ring glowing blue again, and he disappeared from sight…

The wind blew strongly north, and after 5 seconds, it stopped, and Sonic returned into view, only to see more robots. "Sonic, let me handle this." Tails said confidently, and he took out his card.

"Appello!" Tails said, and his yellow staff appeared in front of him.

_"Audi Famam Illius…Lightning come forth from the depths of the lords…May it come forth in my hand…strike thine target, and impale! Pierce, Lightning Arrow!" _Tails said sticking a hand out, and a yellow ball of light formed in his palm, growing larger, until it was around his the size of his chest.

He shot the ball forward, and it stretched out to be an arrow of lightning, and it pierced through the robots coming for them. "Nice one Tails!" Sonic said, and he high-fived the fox.

Explosions were heard from the east, and Sonic gestured for the group to head there…

* * *

"Nodoka, watch out!" Sam said, slicing through a mecha with Chiharu.

"Thanks." Nodoka said, and she sliced through a mecha with the offensive sword.

"There's too much…Nodoka, are you ready?" Sam said, moving behind her.

"Ready." Nodoka said, and they were back to back.

"Nibai Kentai Tsurugi Kata: Crescent Moon Rise!" Sam and Nodoka said in unison, and the two spun together like a drill, rising into the air, and the mechas being pulled into the drill due to the speed.

The duo did one final strike upward, and landed safely on the ground. "Hey, are you alright?" Sonic and the others ran up to the duo, and so did Rikku.

"We're fine." Nodoka said, and Sonic nodded.

"You left me with your mom, y'know?" Rikku said, and Nodoka shrugged.

"Right…oh, no." Nodoka said, and she rushed in, only to find a large mecha with Eggman inside of it, holding Scarlet.

"Fools…Give me the emeralds, or else." Eggman said, and Nodoka was now angry.

"…Heh. 'Give me the emeralds or else.' Pathetic. Is that really all you can do, hold people hostage for those emeralds…" Nodoka said, her voice becoming more menacing.

"Pathetic?! You little…" She then threw Scarlet at Nodoka, who caught her with ease.

"I don't need any hostages!" Eggman said with glee, and Nodoka, her fur turning black, and her eyes suddenly becoming pupil-less, summoned Juuchi and slashed away at the mecha's cockpit, which was unable to move because she had unknowingly destroyed the control switches.

She slashed one last time, and Knuckles, knowing what was going to happen, ran up to the mecha, turned around, and punched it, and it went flying out the door, into a building, and then exploding, Eggman disappearing at the last second with a escape pod... Sam walked up to Nodoka, who had still not reverted to normal, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "…Nodoka…please, calm yourself. She's okay…" Sam said soothingly, and she reverted to her normal self.

"…Anything broken?" Sam asked Scarlet, and she winced in pain.

"…My arms are broken…" Scarlet said, and Sam pointed to her.

"Hootai!" Sam said, and Scarlet was suddenly wrapped in bandages.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Scarlet asked angrily, and Sam sighed.

"Just wait in there…after a while, when the bandages release, you'll be healed." Sam said, and Scarlet sighed.

"Alright." she said, and Sam nodded.

"…It seems as though you've gotten stronger. A lot stronger then last time we met." Shadow said, referring to a certain cobalt hedgehog.

"…It seems so…oh, and Tails?" Sonic asked, and Tails looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"I think I remember why the machine didn't work; wasn't one of the emeralds that fake one that we planned to use on Eggman, on the ARK?" Sonic asked, and Tails nodded.

"Yup. I figured it would work…but still, even if we had Shadow's emerald, it probably still wouldn't work, considering the fake emerald is nearly the same thing." Tails said, and Sonic nodded.

"…Where are you guys planning to sleep? There are only three beds…my mom Scarlet's, mine, and a guest bed." Nodoka asked, and the group shrugged.

"…How large is the guest bed?" Sonic asked, and Nodoka sighed.

"Large enough to barely fit two." Nodoka replied, and Sam nodded.

"I presume it'd be your mom's decision, not to mention yours, Nodoka." Sam said, and she nodded.

"…Let's have a vote. I've got some paper with a pen. Write down who you want to stay, but it can't be yourself. Most amounts of votes with second most, gets to stay." Nodoka said, and the group nodded.

The group wrote down whom, and Nodoka nodded. "Alright…let's see…Tails. Sonic. Rikku. Blaze. Shadow. Knuckles. Sam." Nodoka sweat dropped, and she sighed.

"…You all voted for each other…Settle this the mature way." Nodoka said, and Sam and Sonic nodded.

Blaze gave Sonic the 'my boyfriend the idiot' look again, and Sonic shrugged. "Let's do this!" Sonic said, and Sam nodded sternly.

They both stuck out fists, along with the others. "Rock…" They shook their fists, and continued.

"Paper…" They did so once more, and they said:

"Scissors!" They threw down their fists, some looks of happiness and sorrow were drawn, and they moved on.

This continued until two were left, and a joyful Sam and Rikku high fived each other, until Sam realized something. "…Wait, we'll be in the same room…yeah…you might want to change somewhere else." Sam said, and Rikku slapped him.

"Of course I know that!" Rikku said, blushing.

"…Well, I don't mind Tails staying here…y'know. Spend some quality time together…" Sam said slyly, and he was swiftly slapped by a blushing Rikku, who was smiling as well.

"Alright…guest room's upstairs. As for the others…there's a hotel nearby." Nodoka said, and Sam added to it: "Do as much as you'd like. Go crazy. Just leave the bill to 54-86 Parkinson Road."

Sam smirked, and the group nodded, and walked out. "…C'mon, go to sleep…it's late." Scarlet said suddenly as the bandages on her came off, and she moved her arms freely, and she smirked.

"Thanks." Scarlet said, regarding to Sam, and the ebony hedgehog nodded.

"No problem." Sam said, and he went upstairs, along with Nodoka and Rikku.

"…Alright, let's go into the-"Sam was cut off by his bumping into a wall, and he rubbed his head in pain.

"I'm okay." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Guest room's down the hall." Nodoka said, and the duo of Sam and Nodoka nodded, going down the hall.

"…Well, good night." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Night." Nodoka said, and going into her room, she laid down on her bed.

Sam and Rikku did the same, and Rikku smirked. "…It's good to have her around for you, isn't it?" Rikku said slyly, and Sam nodded.

"…It's been a while. To be frank, I'd like to spend some time with her…after a while of traveling; it's nice to settle down once in a while." Sam said, and Rikku nodded.

"…You wish you can be with Tails now?" Sam asked, and Rikku nodded.

"…Oh, and you never answered my question." Sam said, and Rikku's ears perked up a bit.

"What was it?" Rikku asked, and Sam sighed.

"You don't remember? I asked if you wanted to gain a Soulbend." Sam asked, and Rikku nodded.

"That one?" Rikku asked, and Sam nodded.

"Yes, that one." Sam said, and Rikku tapped her foot.

"…I've thought about…alright." Rikku said hesitantly, and Sam nodded.

"Alright. I'll try to explain how to get one once we get back to the minks." Sam said, Rikku yawning.

"I'm tired…g'night." Rikku said, going into the bed, Sam following.

"…G'night." Sam said, and Rikku was blushing; why was Sam in the same bed as her?

* * *

"…Leave the bill to the address. Thanks." Sonic said, and they got their room keys.

They went inside an elevator, and music started to play…one song that sounded very familiar.

"_Here I come, rougher than the rest of them, the best of them, tougher than leather. You can call me Knuckles, unlike Sonic I don't chuckle. I'd rather flex my muscles, I'm hard as nails, it ain't hard to tell, I break'em down whether they're solid or frail. Unlike the rest I'm independent, It's my first breath, first test, feel the right then the worst's left…"_

"…You're kidding me. THIS is what I used to like?! THIS was my theme song back then?! I used to like rap music?!" Knuckles said in awe, and Sonic was bursting in tears from laughter.

"…And the lyrics. They don't even make sense, or they're simply dumb! 'Unlike Sonic I don't chuckle.' What the heck?!" Knuckles shouted in disbelief, and Sonic kept laughing, as the elevator stopped to their floor.

"C'mon!" Sonic said, and he briskly walked forward to their room…which had a crowd in there, waiting for Sonic and the others…

* * *

Well…here's another. I got pretty inspired these past few days…from more than one source. Here's a little something. Next chapter…will indeed be fun, that's for sure. R&R, hope ya enjoyed, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam

P.S.: Before I forget, those who are interested in Sonic, head to the Sonic Rapid Board! There are some pretty cool things to do there, and it's a good place. Make an account, head to the New Members thread, and say you read Chaos' story. I've made an account there. I'll see ya there!


	12. Tales of the Morning

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Tales of the Morning

"Morning…" Rikku said lazily, and she rolled over to the other side of the bed…to realize Sam was sleeping there.

"…This is too awkward…" Rikku said, prodding Sam off of the bed, and onto the floor, awakening him.

"…Thanks for the oh so gentle awakening." Sam said, and Rikku smirked.

"No problem." She said, and the duo walked outside to see Nodoka on the other side of the hall, and Sam waved his hand lazily, and Nodoka walked up to him.

"Good morning to you too. Get any sleep?" Nodoka asked, and Rikku sighed.

"Not really; THIS GUY keeps snoring!" Rikku said angrily, pointing to Sam.

"…What can I say, I can't help it if I snore…" Sam said, half asleep.

A sudden slap from Rikku woke him up fully, and he was shocked. "…Thanks." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"I guess you didn't get much sleep either?" Nodoka asked, and Sam nodded.

"…I woke up in the middle of the night…too hot. Went downstairs, got a cup of cold water, and went back up to see Rikku sleeping, also muttering something about Tails tickling her…" Sam said, and he was abruptly cut off by a blushing Rikku.

"You didn't hear anything else." Rikku said, and Sam continued.

"She was also making out with her pillow, and-"Rikku slapped him harder.

"You didn't hear ANYTHING ELSE." Rikku said sternly, and Sam chuckled.

"You look a lot more innocent when you're asleep…" Sam said, and Rikku flipped her human like bangs, and sighed.

"Also saw you sleeping, Nodoka…" Sam said slyly, and Nodoka covered his mouth.

"Nothing happened, got it?" Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"It's 8. Mom doesn't get back from shopping until nine, so I guess we'll just hang out until then.

"…Thinking what I'm thinking, Nodoka?" Rikku said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Shall we?" Nodoka asked slyly, and Rikku nodded.

"Let's." Rikku said, and the both of them grabbed Sam's arms and dragged him downstairs.

"Wait, where are we going?!" Sam asked, and the girls sighed in unison.

"The mall. C'mon." Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"This early? But your mom, she'll get something for us to eat, and I wouldn't want to be inconsiderate…" Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"I usually do this…she doesn't mind. Besides, you're paying, right?" Nodoka said, and Sam's eyes widened.

"…To be frank, I only had $100 when I began my journey. There it all went. I don't have any more money, sadly." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Aw…oh well. There's a amusement park nearby. Let's go!" Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

* * *

"…Well, Tails…look at what you've done." Knuckles said, and he sighed.

"Sorry…I thought doing that would work." Tails said.

"Locking ourselves in a bathroom…NICE. Y'know, for a genius, you have your moments, Tails." Shadow said.

"He did this to get us safely from the crowd of people who want to hug us to death. At least we aren't being suffocated." Sonic said, and Knuckles nodded.

"…Well…at least no one will complain about bathroom issues." Blaze said jokingly, and the others stared at her.

"…Excuse me for trying to make a crack." Blaze said, and Tails sighed.

"…We've got to find a way out." Tails said, and Knuckles' face suddenly brightened.

"…Speed formation." Knuckles said, and Sonic nodded.

"Blaze, make a fireball, and open the door, and throw it once you do. Tails, Knuckles and I will burst forward, and you guys follow us." Sonic said, and Blaze nodded.

"On the count of 3." Tails said.

"One…" Knuckles counted.

"Two…you actually have a decent plan, Knuckles. I'm kind of surprised." Tails said, and Knuckles was slightly annoyed at the remark, but he took it as a complement.

"…Three!" Blaze opened the door and threw a fireball, people backing away, and the group in a line ran out of the bathroom, and continued running.

"Quick, the checkout counter!" Sonic said, and he ran up to the clerk.

"Alright…Room 803, you are out." The clerk said, and Sonic and the group nodded.

"…Run." Sonic said, and the group continued.

* * *

"…Oh, not again…" Sam said, and the floating television said: "Cute Couples Get In Free!"

"…Want to get Tails over here?" Sam asked, and Rikku sighed.

"I wish…but he's kind of far from here." Rikku said, and Sam sighed.

"…Magic…Soul Clone!" Sam said, and suddenly, another one of him popped out of Sam and the clone Sam walked up to Rikku.

"…This'll work. Just play the cards right…" Sam said calmly, and they walked up to the clerk.

"Aw, Sam…I'm so tired…" Nodoka said innocently, and Sam nodded.

"Alright…come here…" Sam said softly, and their eyes met, and Nodoka rested her head on Sam's chest, and Sam cradled it, and they looked up at each other.

"…Nodoka…" Sam said, and the two of them leaned in for a kiss, and the clerk sighed.

"…You're free to go…" Sam realized it was the same one from the ski resort, and he sighed.

"It's you AGAIN?" Sam said in disbelief, and she nodded.

"You finally got back together! Yay for you!" The clerk said happily, and Nodoka blushed.

"If he caused you any fear…or bruises…or mental scarring…I'm sorry for that." Nodoka apologized, and the clerk nodded.

"Alright, next!" The duo walked inside, and the elevator took them up.

"Wait, aren't you the same person?" The clerk said in disbelief, and that Sam sighed.

"…Rikku…" Sam said lovingly, and he stroked Rikku's cheek gently, and Rikku embraced him, wrapping her tail around him, and she stared upward at him, considering he was a good two feet taller.

"…Cute!" The clerk said happily, and the duo walked up to the elevator, and the Sams high fived, and merged together.

"…Alright, that was one of the cornier things I've done. Let's just go." Rikku said, blushing slightly from the incident.

"…And don't tell Tails about this." Rikku said, and Sam nodded, and the trio walked into the park…

* * *

"…Finally outta there…" Sonic said, and he sighed.

"…So, where are you headed, Knuckles?" Sonic asked, and Knuckles sighed.

"You should know by now. See ya when I do." Knuckles said, and he ran, and then broke into a glide, off into the skies.

"And you, Shadow?" Sonic asked, and Shadow shrugged.

"I'm going to get my emerald at Rose's. Then, I don't really know…Oh, and speaking of the rose…" Shadow said slyly, running, and a pink blur tackled Sonic to the ground.

"SONIKUU!!!" Amy said gleefully, and Sonic's face was turning bluer than his skin at that point.

"…Suffocating…hurts…off…please…" Sonic managed to squeeze out, and Amy released her deathly grip.

"You came here!" Amy said happily, and Sonic nodded slowly.

"Yeah. What of it?" Sonic asked, and Amy shrugged.

_"Gotta find a way outta talking with her…Oh? Twinkle Park, of course!"_ Sonic thought, and he smirked.

"Hey, Blaze, it says that cute couples get in free, let's go! Tails, wait here." Sonic said quickly, and he dragged Blaze over to the entrance, leaving the group with a slightly pissed Amy, and an afraid Tails.

"…Shadow, let's go!" Amy said, and she dragged a incredibly reluctant Shadow to the entrance.

"This is without a doubt, one of the dumber things you've done. Come on, after all this, you're still chasing him?!" Shadow said arrogantly, and Amy simply sighed.

"This is my love life here!" Amy said persistantly, and Shadow sighed.

"Do I really care about it?" Shadow said, and Amy sighed.

"Just go!" Amy said, and she stared at her worst nightmare come true: Sonic and Blaze actually together.

"C'mon…this is only because we don't have any money on us." Sonic said, and Blaze sighed.

"I don't even want to go here…" Blaze said, and Sonic sighed.

"On the other hand, I don't want to be death hugged! To be frank, I don't want to go here either, but drastic times call for drastic measures…not to say going out with you is a drastic measure, you look absolutely gorgeous, but you catch my drift." Sonic said, and Blaze blushed at the gorgeous part.

"…Gor-gorgeous…?" Blaze stammered, and Sonic sighed.

"If we're gonna pull this off, we have to do this right. Follow my lead." Sonic said, despite him being completely new to love, and he walked up to the clerk.

"You're the same one from the ski resort, and the other places…how many jobs have you had?" Sonic asked, and the clerk sighed.

"Four or five…maybe six." The clerk said, and Sonic sighed.

"…Say, I'm getting a bit cold. Blaze…" Sonic said, and he hugged Blaze, making her blush a bit, and heat radiated from Blaze's body.

"…You may pass." The clerk said, and the duo of Sonic and Blaze nodded, and went on the elevator.

"…It works, doesn't it?" Sonic asked, and Blaze smiled.

"…They went in together…as a couple…" Amy was berserk now, and a surprised Shadow held her back.

"…If he sees you as what he does, just accept it." Shadow said, and he ran, holding her by the arm.

"…Right…wait, where are you taking me?" Amy asked, and Shadow sighed.

"I left my emerald at your place." Shadow said, and Amy nodded.

* * *

"…Well…that was enjoyable. Despite the fact I can run as fast as the go karts, I digress." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"It's about time we get back to your house, Nodoka." Sam said, and the regimental hedgehog nodded.

"Hey, Sam." Sonic said, waving to the trio.

"Surprised to see you here…well, you're with Blaze, so it really isn't much, I guess." Sam said jokingly.

"I escaped Amy by going here…cute couples get in free y'know." Sonic said, and Sam nodded.

"How do you think we got in here?" Sam said, and Sonic raised a eyebrow.

"…Ooh…you're a player, aren't you?" Sonic said jokingly, and he was slapped by Rikku.

"I came in with a clone of him…and besides, we only came here for the rides." Rikku retorted, and Sonic shrugged.

"And we were just about to take our leave. We'll see ya later." Sam said, and Sonic nodded.

"Alright. C'mon, Blaze, let's go on the go karts!" Sonic said, and Blaze sighed.

"Let's head to your house, she's probably home by now." Rikku said, and Nodoka nodded, the trio rushing forward…

They passed Tails, and Sam turned to face him. "Hey, Tails." Sam said.

"Hey…I have a good feeling as to why Sonic went into Twinkle Park." Tails said, and Sam nodded.

"It's exactly as you would presume…if you're wondering why Rikku's here, don't worry. I'm not a player. She just came along for the rides." Sam said, and Tails nodded.

"C'mon. Would I REALLY cheat on you?" Rikku said, and Tails shook his head.

"Of course not!" Tails said, and Rikku tapped her foot.

"But you have to me, remember?" Rikku said, and Tails sighed.

"…Rikku, please, don't bring up the past…you're here now, right?" Tails said, and Rikku sighed.

"…You stood me up six times working on a experiment." Rikku said sternly, and Tails' face was beginning to panic.

"…But I came back in the end, didn't I?" Tails said, grinning, and Rikku sighed.

"I guess so." Rikku said, and Tails smiled.

"I wouldn't want to interfere with this moment…but I just saw my mom's car." Nodoka said, and Sam's eyes widened.

"…Tails, do you mind making up for the past when we're at Nodoka's?" Sam asked quickly, and Tails shook his head.

"Good. Let's hurry." Sam said, and rushing forward in a blur of green and black, the others followed.

* * *

"…Well, that was…fun." Blaze said, and Sonic looked back at the wreckage of go karts.

"…You made the go karts explode with your flames." Sonic said, and Blaze chuckled.

"Yeah, pretty much." Blaze said, and Sonic sighed.

"…Ooh, look, Human Tetris!" Sonic said, and Blaze sighed.

"…This is gonna be one wild game…" Blaze said, and following Sonic to the booth, she sighed.

* * *

"…Made it!" Sam said, and he did a windmill to a flare, then to a 1990, and then swiftly landing on his feet, arms crossed.

"…Showoff." Nodoka said, and she ran inside the house, and Scarlet sighed.

"You went out again?" Scarlet said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Boredom possessed me to do so." Nodoka said, and Scarlet sighed.

"Just as long as you don't get hurt. I know you well enough as to not get lost…and if you do, Sam will be there anyhow…moves and moments." Scarlet said slyly, and Nodoka blushed heavily.

"MOM!" Nodoka said, embarrassed.

"…Wait, where's Tails and Rikku?" Sam peeked outside, to find the two in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry for neglecting you…" Tails said.

"I'm sorry for…well, I'm not really sorry to be truthful, considering you left me six times. But with someone like you…why would I cheat on you?" Rikku said, and Tails smiled.

"Aww…should we interrupt them?" Sam asked, and Nodoka shook her head.

"…Tempting…aw, I'll just do something else fitting." Sam said.

"…What could that possibly-" Nodoka was cut off my a kiss from Sam, and Scarlet sighed.

"…Well, that's your answer." Sam said, and Nodoka blushed.

She leaned in for another kiss, and Sam kissed her again with passion, and Scarlet watching this, decides to take out her phone, and snuck some pictures in. They stopped, and Tails and Rikku came in. "Finally done with your little moment?" Sam said, and he was slapped by Rikku.

"Yes, yes we are." Tails said, and Sam sighed.

"…Carpe diem, Tails, carpe diem." Sam said, and Tails nodded.

"Where are the others that you were with?" Sam asked, and Tails sighed.

"Knuckles went to Angel Island, an island in the sky powered by a large, transparent green emerald, the Master Emerald. Shadow's gone to Amy's house, presumably with her to get his Chaos Emerald…who knows where he's going to go from there…" Tails said, and Sam nodded.

"…Just saying…you might want to take a shower, Sam." Rikku said, and Sam shrugged.

"…Really…where's the bathroom?" Sam asked, and Nodoka pointed upstairs.

"It's the second room to the left." Nodoka added, and the ebony hedgehog went upstairs, into the bathroom, and locked the door.

"…Wonder how Sonic's doing…" Sam thought aloud, and he shrugged.

* * *

"…SO close…not bad." Sonic said, and Blaze chuckled.

"…One more time. I'll beat you this time!" Blaze said happily, getting off the booth.

"Alright, bring it on!" Sonic said, and they went back onto the booth again…

* * *

Well, here's another chapter! School getting to me, slowly but surely…stuff's pretty hectic in my head and schedule, but I'm trying to pack everything in here. If I made the end a bit uneventful, sorry about that. Nothing came to mind..so...yeah. Hope ya enjoyed, R&R, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	13. Tales of Noon

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Tales of Noon

"…I thought your kind was supposed to be flexible…heck, with your body, it'd be understandable!" Sonic said jokingly, and Blaze sighed.

"…You can say it's a misconception." Blaze said, and Sonic chuckled.

"Oh, you're gaining weight?" Sonic said, and he was abruptly given a fiery slap, courtesy of Blaze.

"…Just a tip; DON'T _**EVER**_ SAY THAT TO A GIRL. Got it?" Blaze said sternly, and he was in flames, and the bench they were sitting on began to burn.

"Hey, hey…calm down. I was just joking…" Sonic said, and Blaze sighed.

Blaze's stomach then growled, and the flames covering her body dissipated. "Hungry?" Sonic asked, and Blaze nodded.

"C'mon…I'll get you a tuna sandwich or something…" Sonic said jokingly, and Blaze chuckled, and the duo went out of the park in blurs of purple and blue, speeding through the city…

* * *

"Hello, Mrs.…" Tails said, and Scarlet chuckled.

"Just call me Scarlet. I'm Nodoka's mother. Nice to meet you, Tails." Scarlet said, and Tails nodded.

"Nice to meet you as well." Tails said.

"…Wonder where Nodoka went…" Sam thought aloud, and Scarlet looked at him.

"…If you're going to make out, do it outside…" Scarlet said jokingly, and Sam blushed.

"…She's in the library…she might not look like it, but she's a big reader." Scarlet said, and she chuckled.

"All those times I used to read to her…I'd fall asleep, and she'd read the book, not to mention finish it, and go to sleep…I'd always find the book she was reading under one of her pillows." Scarlet said, and she thought back to some of the countless times…

"…It's on the second floor. She buys books, reads them…stores them there." Scarlet said simply, and Sam nodded, going upstairs.

"Hey, Nodoka." Sam said, walking into the vast, crimson colored room full of bookshelves, books, and countless memories…

"Hey." Nodoka said, putting a book down, and walking up to Sam.

"…Heard you were a quick reader and book lover." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"I used to read a lot when I was younger…I'm getting back into the habit of it." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"…I don't really mind books…for the most part, they were mostly used for studying, and for school…I read quite a lot in my earlier days." Sam said, walking around the room.

"My, my…you've read a lot of classics. Classics, contemporary…even some new ones that came out you have here." Sam said and Nodoka sighed.

"I've got a lot of catching up to do…I'm in a reader's dilemma; I have all these new books to get to…where to start…" Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"…Yeah…we've got some catching up to do…" Sam said dreamily.

"What was that?" Nodoka said, and Sam snapped back to reality; he had imagined some scenarios in his head.

"Nothing, nothing much…" Sam said quickly, and Nodoka shrugged, getting back to her book.

"…C'mon…don't hide it…" Juuchi said, and Nodoka blushed, and was slightly startled.

"Juuchi…" Nodoka said, and Sam felt Chiharu materialize in back of him, gently pushing him toward Nodoka.

Juuchi did the same, and Chiharu winked at Juuchi, Juuchi doing the same. "Now, now…don't be shy." Juuchi said, and Nodoka looked at Juuchi nervously.

"What are you talking about?" Nodoka said quickly, and she was sweating a bit.

"You should know…spit it out!" Juuchi said, and Sam turned to Chiharu, who simply smirked.

"Look, I know just as much as you do as to what you want…c'mon. Don't be nervous…" Chiharu said, and Sam sighed.

"Look, I…" Sam said, and Chiharu smirked; he got him this time.

"…Hey…Sam?" Nodoka said nervously, and the ebony hedgehog looked at her.

"What is it?" Sam said, and Nodoka blushed, stammering.

"Well?" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…I was wondering…we've got a bit of catching up to do…so…I was wondering if…if you…" Nodoka said nervously, and Juuchi entered her, and then her body was covered with a green aura.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go hang out with me tonight!" Nodoka said quickly, and Juuchi got out of Nodoka, her green aura dissipating.

"…You took a while to say that…" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"But I didn't!" Nodoka said, looking sternly at Juuchi, who smirked, and looking back at Sam, who was now in front of Nodoka, her face lightened up.

Sam smirked and looked into the regimental hedgehog's eyes, Nodoka's heartbeat beginning to rise at an alarmingly fast rate, and Sam smiled. Chiharu and Juuchi smirked at each other, and they nodded, going back into their wielders. "…Even if you didn't…you're pretty much asking me out, right?" Sam said, recalling a previous moment like this.

"…Well…it's not like…kind of, but…yeah, pretty much." Nodoka said, and Sam was holding in laughter; the irony of this situation was killing him!

"…I'll meet in front of the house at seven, alright?" Sam said, walking out of the room, and all Nodoka could do was nod slowly before seeing the door close, the ebony hedgehog out of her sight.

"…You really had to say that?" Nodoka said, talking to Juuchi, and she came out.

"Not really…but you wanted to. It's for your benefit…and mine. It's a win-win situation." Juuchi said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…Wait…what am I doing here?! I've got to get ready…what to wear…what to say…it's all so…" Nodoka said, and Juuchi chuckled.

"Just do what you did last time…you'll be fine." Juuchi said confidently, and she walked out.

"Where are you going?" Nodoka asked, and Juuchi smirked.

"…Heading to see Chiharu. You're not the only one in love, you know." Juuchi said smirking, and Nodoka's mouth was slightly agape.

The door closed, and she closed her mouth. "…I don't believe it." Nodoka said, and she too, went out of the door.

* * *

"…Full?" Sonic said, and the lilac feline nodded, getting up.

"Pretty much." Blaze said, and Sonic nodded, getting up as well, and the duo going outside.

"…We should get going to Nodoka's. Remember where it is?" Sonic asked, and Blaze nodded.

"Race ya there!" Sonic said happily, and in two blurs of blue and lilac, the duo sped off…

* * *

"…There it is!" Shadow said, and he grabbed the shining green emerald, and Amy sighed.

"…Will he ever…" Amy said, and Shadow sighed.

"…He accepts you as someone. Just accept that…you'll find someone else. It may not be him…but all in due time. Farewell!" Shadow said, and he held the Chaos Emerald up into the air…

"Hold it!" Amy said, and his crimson eyes lowered onto her, and Amy sighed.

"…Do you think he'll…" Amy stopped, and Shadow looked at her and nodded.

"…If I know the faker, he will." Shadow said, and he simply grasped the Chaos Emerald tightly.

"…Chaos Control!" Shadow said, and in a flash of emerald green light covering the room, he was gone.

"…Sonic…I understand." Amy said, and she walked out of her door, and locked it, before continuing to walk onward…

* * *

"…Hey, Sam." Juuchi said, and Sam turned to the green hedgehog.

"Hey." Sam said, getting a water bottle from the refrigerator.

"Need anything?" Sam asked, and Juuchi nodded.

He suddenly tossed a water bottle to her, and she caught it. "…Not a drink, though thanks. I needed to speak with Chiharu for a bit…privately." Juuchi said, and Sam nodded.

"Chiharu, your love wants to speak to you…don't keep her waiting, now." Sam said slyly, and the yellow hedgehog came out, and he stood in front of her.

"You called?" Chiharu said, and Juuchi nodded.

"…They're going out at seven…I was thinking…" Juuchi said, and Chiharu nodded.

"…Sure, why not?" Chiharu said, and Juuchi nodded.

"We'll depart the same time they are, alright?" Juuchi said, and Chiharu nodded.

"…Well, well, it's worked out quite nicely…hasn't it?" Nodoka said, entering the kitchen.

"…Indeed, it has." Sam said gleefully, and the Soulbends looked at each other.

A knocking sound was heard on the door, and Sam opened the door to find Sonic and Blaze entering. "…Well, you two had quite the time…" Sam said, and Sonic nodded.

"More or less." Sonic said, and Blaze nodded.

"What time is it?" Blaze asked, and she looked around for a clock; it was 4:30.

"…It's 4:30. I presume we may get ready for what is to come." Sam said, and Nodoka, Chiharu and Juuchi all nodded, and Sonic was confused.

"…What is to come?" Blaze said, and Sam sighed.

"The four of us are going out to dinner." Sam said, and Sonic nodded.

"…Wait…oh yeah…I forgot; I wasted all my money." Sam said, and he face palmed.

"I'll pay for it; I owe you for last night." Nodoka said, and Sonic's eyes widened.

"…WHOA there…don't tell me you guys really…" Sonic said, and Blaze's eyes widened as well.

"…Yeah…I'm just going to…" Blaze said, backing away slowly.

"We didn't…well…we didn't…" Sam cleared his throat, blushing heavily.

"…Of course we didn't! We're too young..." Nodoka said, blushing as well.

"…Our kids will be beautiful and fast. Right, Blaze?" Sonic said, and Blaze just blushed heavily.

"…Don't forget in a long time from now…and possibly imaginary." Sam added, which Nodoka just slapped him.

"Don't rain on their parade, now…" Scarlet said, appearing in back of a startled Sam.

"…How did you appear out of nowhere?" Sam asked, and Scarlet chuckled.

"I just came back from gardening." Scarlet said, and Sam sighed.

"Popped out of nowhere…" Sam said, and Nodoka cleared her throat.

"…Mom, you wouldn't mind if I went out with Sam, right?" Nodoka said, and Scarlet nodded.

"Of course not. He's a good guy, and I can already tell you two will get along quite nicely…if you catch my drift." Scarlet said, and the duo blushed heavily.

"MOM!" Nodoka said in the 'That is completely personal, not to mention inappropriate for our age and I am embarrassed!' tone.

"I'll give you money for the date." Scarlet said, and Nodoka blushed.

"…We're going out to a restaurant to have a lively discussion and possibly be romantic…it isn't a date." Sam said, and Scarlet laughed.

"…So…you're _going out_ _to a restaurant_ to be _romantic _and _talk about situations_…" Scarlet said, and the duo blushed again.

"MOM!" Sam said, and before he realized what he had done, Scarlet broke into tears of laughter.

"…Whew…this is all too easy…" Scarlet said, and she went out of the kitchen chuckling.

"…Idiot." Nodoka said, and she slapped the ebony hedgehog, who guarded himself against it.

* * *

"…So…Tails?" Rikku said casually, and the vulpine looked at her curiously.

"Yeah?" Tails said, and Rikku got up from the bench she was sitting on.

"…I was wondering…do you want to go out later?" Rikku said nervously, and the fox nodded.

"Sure. What time?" Tails asked, and Rikku thought for a little.

"At seven." Rikku said bluntly, and Tails nodded.

"I'll meet you in front of Nodoka's, alright?" Rikku said, and Tails nodded.

"Okay." Tails said, and Rikku nodded.

_

* * *

_

"C'mon…spend some time away from the Master Emerald. Have some fun." Sonic said, and Knuckles sighed.

_"…Look, it's my duty to protect it. I can't let it fall into the wrong hands. Again." Knuckles said arrogantly, and Sonic sighed._

_"C'mon…isn't it boring, sitting around that all day and night?" Sonic said, and Knuckles nodded._

_"It might be, but I still need to guard it…look, as much as having fun for a change would be nice, I have my duty at hand. Just go." Knuckles said, and Sonic kept persisting, until Knuckles simply went berserk on him, and chased him off the isle._

* * *

"…Having fun, huh…I guess a break is good once in a while…" Knuckles said, and with that, he simply glided off the island, although not before looking at it one more time…

* * *

…Here's another. I'm getting more or less busier as the year goes on…I presume I won't have much time to write than usual. Balancing everything is becoming quite hectic, and I attempt to prioritize studies over this…to an extent. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, R&R, I'll see ya next time.

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	14. Tales of the Night

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Tales of the Night

"…Now, now, Nodoka…no need to panic…it's just a date…don't need to go crazy about it…" Juuchi said jokingly, as the regimental hedgehog was scrambling around her room.

"…I can't really…so many things to prepare…so little time…" Nodoka said frantically, and Sam, who was watching the entire ordeal through a crack in the door, simply walked in, and Nodoka simply rushed in front of him.

"…She's right, y'know. If you're going to freak out, do it after the date's over." Sam said calmly, and Nodoka chuckled.

"…If you can't decide on what to wear, shop for clothing." Sam said blatantly, and he walked out of the room.

"You have an hour. I suggest you hurry if you are going to shop." Juuchi said, and Nodoka looked at her.

"Aren't YOU worried about your date?" Nodoka said, and Juuchi chuckled.

"No, why should I? It's just a walk, talk, hugs and kisses. Nothing more and it's nothing much…aside from one great night off." Juuchi said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…What do you see in him, anyhow?" Juuchi asked, and Nodoka shrugged.

"…I just don't know. It's just…him. That's the best I could do to describe him." Nodoka said, and thinking back to all the times where the two were alone, she blushed.

"…Fate has its ways, doesn't it?" Juuchi said, and Nodoka nodded.

"I guess…Anyway, we should get shopping." Nodoka said, and Juuchi nodded.

"Mom, can we get some money? We need to go shopping for…you know." Nodoka asked, and suddenly, a $100 bill flew in the room, and hit Nodoka.

"…Well…that came out of nowhere…" Nodoka said, and suddenly, Scarlet came inside the room.

"Sure, I'll give you…where'd the $100 bill come from?" Scarlet asked, and the duo shrugged.

"You're welcome!" Sonic said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Now we know. Thanks!" Nodoka said before running downstairs, and going out the door, Scarlet locking the door.

"…Such a handful…worth it, though." Scarlet said to herself, and she sighed.

"You've got that right…" Sam added, and he too, sighed.

"…Are you sure about…" Sam asked, and Scarlet nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure. Just take care of her…and make sure she doesn't go into…that form again." Scarlet said, and Sam nodded.

"Right. I'll watch over her." Sam said.

"…Hey, Blaze." Sam said, and Blaze nodded.

"Something the matter?" Sam asked, and Blaze shook her head.

"…Nothing. Nothing much…" Blaze said, and she sighed.

"…You make it quite evident that something's the matter…C'mon." Sam said, crossing his arms.

"…You don't mind if Sonic and I tag along for the date, right?" Blaze asked nervously, and Sam shook his head.

"Of course not. Why do you ask?" Sam asked, and Blaze sighed.

"…Why do you think?" Sonic asked, coming down the stairs with a grin on his face, and he stood next to Blaze.

"Yeah… I figured." Sam said, and a knocking sound was heard; Tails and Rikku was knocking at the door.

"…We just saw Nodoka headed toward the mall. Want to come along? We were heading there anyways, so we thought…" Rikku said, and Sam nodded, along with Sonic and Blaze.

"…Well, I have to go out as well…so I'll see you when I do." Scarlet said, and the group exited, Scarlet locking the door behind them.

"…C"mon." Tails said, and they ran to a mall quite near Nodoka's house, and entered.

"…Pretty large…any idea where she went?" Rikku asked, and Sam sighed.

"…Are we here to shop, or snoop? C'mon. We can't disguise ourselves either!" Sam said, and Rikku simply took a cardboard box, and hid under it.

"…Seriously. You're kidding. Get out from under there…" Sam said, taking off the cardboard box disguise.

"C'mon…do what you have to do, and then let's-"Sam was cut off by his stomach, and he sighed.

"…and let's head to Nodoka's house after. Time will pass quickly enough." Sam said, and Tails and Rikku nodded in response.

"…What are you here for, anyhow?" Sam said, putting on his black and gold jacket.

"We were here to just shop for clothes…and by we, I mean I was following Rikku only to drag me along shopping." Tails said, and Sonic sighed.

"…Well, I presume we'll meet again…just be here at 6:45." Sam said, and the group nodded, going their separate ways…

* * *

"…Think all this looks any good?" Nodoka asked Juuchi, and she sighed.

"Yeah, yeah…it looks fine…" Juuchi said, and Nodoka sighed.

"That's what you said last time, and the times before…if you're going to keep saying that, I should just-"

"Look, there's really no need to get worked up over this…just try to pick an outfit that looks good, and stick with it." Juuchi said calmly, and Nodoka sighed.

"Fine…but does this look good?" Nodoka asked, and Juuchi nodded.

"Alright then, I'm going to get this." Nodoka said.

_"About time…after a while, the asking can get a bit repetitive…" _Juuchi thought, and with that, they went to the register.

* * *

"…So, Blaze…want anything to eat?" Sonic asked, and Blaze shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll wait until the dinner." Blaze said, and Sonic nodded.

"…The others are having their dilemmas…why can't we just relax, and-ooh…arcade…" Sonic said, heading in there, and Blaze reluctantly followed.

"…It's relatively loud in here…my ears are sensitive…" Blaze said, and Sonic looked at the multiple machines around him.

"…DDR!" Sonic said with glee, and he inserted a dollar from his wallet, and then inserted another one in, and Sonic dragged Blaze onto the stage.

"…Super Maniac…let's go!" Sonic said, and he chose an incredibly fast song.

"…I'm unfamiliar with what you have to do…why are the panels blinking?" Blaze said, and he looked at Sonic's legs, nothing more than a blur as he pressed on the pad as needed.

"Just step on the buttons when the arrow hits!" Sonic said, and he smirked.

"…Alright…" Blaze said, unsure of herself, and she stepped on the arrows she needed to, people now watching the duo…

* * *

"…Alright…Getting this." Rikku said, and Tails sighed.

"Rikku dear, I'm getting tired…can we rest a bit…" Rikku slapped him, and he went to the floor.

"Don't call me 'dear'…" Rikku said, and Tails got up, as people were watching.

"…Sorry…again." Tails said, and he sighed.

"…Let's just go to the counter…" Tails said, and Rikku nodded.

"That'll be $35." The clerk said, and Rikku paid.

"Thanks for shopping at Crush 40's!" The clerk said, and the duo left.

_

* * *

_

"

…_If you feel, so empty, so used up, so let down, if you feel, so angry, so ripped off, so stepped on..." _Sam sang, and he sighed.

_"You're not the, only one, refusing to back down; you're not the, only one, so get up…" _Sam sang, and Nodoka walked up to him.

"Hey, Sam. Why are you here?" Nodoka asked, and Sam continued singing.

_"Let's start a riot, a riot, let's start a riot…"_ Sam sang, and he was pulled back to reality, to see a confused Nodoka staring at him.

"…I was singing randomly?" Sam asked, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Picked what you wanted?" Sam asked, and she nodded once more.

"I'll meet you at home, alright?" Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

Before he took another step, she pecked him on the cheek. "I'll be waiting for you there." Nodoka then smirked at him, and proceeded to walk out of the mall, leaving a dazed Sam standing there.

* * *

"Yes!" Sonic said, and he did a windmill on the machine, causing Blaze to step off of it for a bit.

"…That was fun. Too bad we got to go, right, Sonic?" Blaze said, and Sonic looked at the time; 6:43.

"Right. Ask the wind where I am; I'll be it!" Sonic said, waving to the crowd of people and the duo rushed.

"…Hey, Nodoka! Wait up!" Sam said, and he ran up to her, and she stopped.

"Aww…just as I made a lasting impression…" Nodoka said, and the others met up with the duo.

"…We're all here…how convenient." Sonic said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Allow me to go home; I just need to change." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

The group went back to Nodoka's house, only for her to change, and for Rikku to leave her things, leaving an anxious Sam in his jacket, a bored Blaze, an excited Sonic, and a nervous Tails waiting outside. "…How much longer are you two going to-" Sam was cut off by Rikku.

"Don't tell us to hurry, we're already done!" Rikku said, and Sam sighed.

"If you're done, then-"Sam was cut off by the sight of Nodoka in a magenta to regimental (top to bottom) sundress and black heels.

The hedgehog's mouth was agape for a while, and Nodoka simply came down from the porch, and closed his mouth. "…You look…well…I can't describe it. Stunning would be an understatement, let's leave it at that." Sam said, and Nodoka blushed.

"Looking good as always." Nodoka said, referring to Sam, and he smirked.

"Alright, let's go!" Rikku said, and Sam, Sonic, Blaze, and Nodoka looked at her.

"…You're going on a date with Tails?" Sam asked, and she nodded.

"If I am?" Rikku retorted, and Sam smirked.

"Alright then." Sonic said, and they began to walk.

"Any good restaurants around here?" Sam asked, and Nodoka nodded.

"To be frank, I'm pretty much starved…there's a nearby Drizzlers, SSFC, Bad Burger, and Ronalds. There's also one great restaurant I know of; also has an all you can eat deal, so…yeah." Nodoka said, and Sam smirked.

"Let's head there!" Sonic said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Happy to oblige!" Nodoka added, and the group stopped.

"…It's in the other direction." Nodoka said, and they ran the other way, and in 5 minutes, they reached their destination.

"…The Twilight Sunburst Buffet, huh?" Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"It's at a great price also! I saved some money from my shopping; I have enough to get us all in." Nodoka said, and they entered, to see a large table, filled with food, and Nodoka smirked.

"Ah…Madam Nodoka. Pleasure to see you once more…We had thought a tragedy had happened…" A swan said, and Nodoka smirked.

"Nice to see you as well. Table for six?" Nodoka said, and the swan looked at the group.

"…My, my…you seem to have companions along with you…is the one with the jacket your…" The swan chuckled, and Nodoka blushed.

"…Why, this is a rare sight…Madam, you're blushing!" The swan said, and Nodoka sighed.

"C'mon, Nodoka. It's alright…" Sam said, and he looked at the swan.

"Yes, yes he is." Nodoka said, and the swan looked at the duo.

"Well, then, congratulations! Wishing the best of luck to the both of you. Now, table for six!" The swan called out, and a waiter came and led them to a table.

"Choose what you would like, six people, that will be $120." Nodoka paid the waiter, and he left leaving plates, which the group grabbed.

"Let's go." Nodoka said, and the group got up, and to the table with food.

"Starved…hey, the last steak." Sam said, and he quickly grabbed tongs….only for Sonic to grab it as well…

"…Must we do this…again?" Sam said, and Sonic shook his head.

"What else do you want to do, bring up a trial?" Sonic said, and Sam sighed.

"…Is there any point?" Sam said, and Sonic shook his head.

"Hey look, there are dumplings." Sonic said, and Sam went away.

"Heh." Sonic said, and he took the steak.

"…What? I don't see any…aww…" Sam said, and he walked somewhere else.

"…Now, now…let's eat!" Nodoka said happily, looking at the food on her plate.

"…I'll probably get more after this…" Nodoka said to herself, and Blaze sighed.

"How can you eat that much and not gain weight?" Blaze asked quietly, and Nodoka shrugged.

"I just do…I guess when running at a pace where they trees sway, you lose pounds, calories…" Nodoka said, and Blaze smirked.

"I should start running more." Blaze said, and she sat down next to Nodoka.

"Starved and ready." Sam said, coming back to the table, a plate full of food.

"Same here." Sonic and Tails said in unison, and the trio began to indulge in the culinary smorgasbord that was on their plates.

"You aren't really that picky, are you?" Rikku said, coming back with food, and Sam shrugged, his mouth filled with mussels.

He swallowed, and he sighed. "No, not really. Especially since I've been pretty hungry. Just trying to get something in my stomach…" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Just don't cram it down there; you might get a-"Nodoka was then cut off by the sight of Sam clenching his stomach painfully.

"…Stomachache." Nodoka said, and Sam chuckled.

"…Mussels. Special mussels. Note to self…these don't digest that well…" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Told you so." Nodoka said, and Sam drank some water.

"…That's a bit better…" Sam said, and Nodoka patted his back.

"…So, Nodoka…" Sam said, and the regimental hedgehog looked at him with a full mouth.

"Hmm?" Nodoka said, and Sam was about to say something, but instead took a napkin and wiped her mouth.

She swallowed, and nodded. "Thanks." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"…Oh, and just a tip…if you're going to get something…finish EVERYTHING on your plate. They charge you if you leave stuff on there, but you get a partial refund if everyone finishes everything." Nodoka said, and the group nodded.

"First plate finished." Sam said, and he got up, along with Sonic and Tails.

"…That was relatively quick." Blaze said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Why do I get the feeling that something might happen…" Nodoka said, and Rikku sighed.

"It's probably your imagination…don't worry!" Rikku said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Kind of full…" Nodoka said, and Sam, who had just come back, smirked.

"…They have shrimp." Sam stated, and with that, Nodoka ran to the table.

"…Is there?" Blaze asked, and Sam nodded.

"They have salmon as well." Sam said, and Blaze got up, and she too, walked to the table.

"…Yeah, they really have salmon." Sam said, sitting down, and cutting his steak…well, trying to.

"…Alright…this can take a while…" Sam said, and he tried to cut into it, and he sighed.

"…Kuchiyose, Chiharu." Sam said, and he summoned Chiharu in his weapon form to cut the steak.

"Oh, you're kidding me…I'm not a kitchen knife!" Chiharu said, and Sam sighed.

"Sorry…this just won't cut!" Sam said, finally cutting the steak, and he proceeded to work on the next cut.

"…You owe me." Chiharu said, and Sam nodded.

"I know…" Sam said, swiftly cutting the steak with Chiharu into cubes, and he looked around.

He then summoned Chiharu in his hedgehog form, and stuck a piece of the steak in his mouth, and then placed him back into weapon form. "They make a good medium well." Chiharu said, Sam nodding in agreement.

"You're welcome." Sam said, and Chiharu unnoticeably nodded.

"…This is pretty good!" Sam said, and he placed steak sauce on the steak, and he continued to eat.

"The steak's pretty good in here." Nodoka said, coming back with steak and shrimp on her plate.

"Yup." Sonic said, coming back with a full plate.

"I'm going to get another plate…" Rikku said, and she walked to the table.

"…Agh…" Sam said, clutching his stomach.

"…Those mussels…aren't going down so well…excuse me." Sam said, running to the bathroom, conveniently next to another table full of desserts.

"…Told him not to eat that fast…" Nodoka said, and she sighed.

"And yet he did anyway…" Blaze said, and Nodoka chuckled.

"…Well, he was hungry…I guess he couldn't really help it much." Rikku said, back with another plate of food.

"…Whew…it's official…remind me not to eat the mussels here…" Sam said jokingly, and Sonic chuckled.

"...Whoa, whoa…It's going to fall!" Tails said uneasily, and he came back with a ridiculously large amount of food on his plate.

A shrimp nearly fell to the floor, and Sonic caught it. "…Not so much, bud. You'll end up like constipation man here." Sonic said jokingly, and Sam chuckled.

"…Haha…very funny." Sam said, and he sighed.

"He's right though. Don't get so much…" Sam said, and with that, he finished his steak.

"Slow down, Sam…you'll end up needing more than one trip to the can…." Nodoka said, and Sam sweat dropped.

"Whose side are you on?" Sam asked.

"The side of truth…seriously." Nodoka said, and Sam laughed.

"Alright then…getting dessert…ugh, I feel nearly bloated." Sam said, and he went to the dessert table.

"He's kind of overdoing on the food…" Tails said, and Rikku looked at his plate.

"…Look who's talking." Rikku said jokingly.

"Seriously, I was hungry. That's all I'm saying." Tails said with a grin, and Rikku sighed.

"Just don't end up like-"She was cut off at the sight of a certain ebony hedgehog's plate, which was filled with desserts, mostly jelly.

"…Yeah. Like that." Rikku said, and Sam sat down.

"Well, you live and learn, I guess…" Sonic said, and Sam shrugged.

"Indeed." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…Hopefully, all in due time." Nodoka said, and Sam chuckled.

_"…So many unanswered questions…why does she like me? Why do I like her? And why doesn't she have an answer to the first one except 'I don't know.'?"_ Sam thought, and he sighed.

The ebony hedgehog began to feast on the large amount of sweets on his plate; jelly, cakes of all kinds, and crepes filled with fruit and whipped cream. "…Not too fast this time." Nodoka warned Sam, and he nodded with a crepe in his mouth.

_"…Yeah, I really should listen to her…last time, it didn't go so well."_ Sam thought as he ate his crepe.

_"…Questions unanswered…that 'Chosen' business…what is it? Is he taking me to where he went before here? Maybe to some elders of some kind?"_ Nodoka thought, as she finished her steak and shrimp.

_"…It's a bit quiet in terms of everyone except for Sam and Nodoka…Need something to break the ice…but what…?" _Sonic thought, as he saw Blaze's face perk up.

"…Sonic? When do you the machine will work?" Blaze asked suddenly, and the cobalt hedgehog shrugged.

"Beats me…worried about your job?" Sonic asked, and she nodded.

"…Don't worry. You've got-"Blaze then cut him off.

"Gardon isn't going to cover me all the time. What if I can't return?" Blaze said, and Sonic sighed.

"…Why can't we just build some kind of dimensional communicator?" Tails said, and Sonic was confused.

"A dimensional telephone, basically. You can keep in contact with your kingdom, and still be here, in Sonic's arms." Sam said, and Blaze slapped him.

"It'll be true, won't it?" Sam said jokingly, and chewing a jelly, he swallowed.

"…Oh…aw, man that's weird…" Sam said, and he felt large chunks of jelly forcibly slide down his throat.

"You swallowed jelly?" Nodoka asked, and the ebony hedgehog nodded, a pained look on his face.

"Yeah." Sam said, feeling it drop from his throat.

_"Tails and I aren't speaking…hard to break the ice in such a weird conversation…"_ Rikku thought, and she sighed, but suddenly thought up of an idea.

"Do you want any help in building it?" The vixen asked, and the vulpine could only nod quickly, having finished his food.

"Going to get dessert." Nodoka and Tails said in unison, the both of them getting up, and walking to the table.

"…How do you talk to a girl so easily?" Tails asked, and Nodoka shrugged.

"We're of the same gender. It goes for guys too, doesn't it? If you're planning to ask about how to talk to Rikku, just talk to her like you usually would." Nodoka said, and Tails nodded, grabbing a crepe.

"…I don't think I can…wait a second…" Tails thought, and he sighed.

"It might be risky, but it might work…Sengen, Ketsudan." Tails said quietly, and he glowed a yellow hue, and it dissipated.

"…In this state, I've got more confidence…I can do this." Tails said calmly.

_"Just have to make sure I don't get too cocky or loud…"_ Tails thought, and he sighed.

"…I heard you, Tails." Blaze said, and Tails' face was one of the 'Oh crud, she's figured out…' types, mixed with a 'She knows anyway, just stay calm' face.

"...So, Rikku…" Tails said, and she looked at her.

Her hazel eyes looked at his cobalt ones, and for a moment, all went silent, their gaze the only thing seen, everything else a mere blur. Suddenly, a gloved hand waved in front of Tails' face, breaking him out of the moment. "Hey…Sonic to Tails. Do you read?" Sonic said, and Tails' face perked up.

"This is Tails to Sonic, over and out." Tails said, and once again looking at Rikku, who was talking to Blaze, who was telling her about the abilities of Tails' Soulbend.

"…Well, I'm stuffed." Sam said his plate clean.

"Same here." Sonic said, and he sighed.

"Yup, I'm finished." Blaze said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Yeah, same here…" Nodoka had finished her plate.

"…Well, Rikku? I was wondering…" Tails said, and she looked at him once more.

"I was wondering if…well, if…" Tails' Soulbend suddenly materialized in back of him, and entered Tails, and he glowed a yellow hue.

"I was wondering if, after this whole 'Chosen' fiasco is over, if you wanted to hang out." Tails said, and Sengen exited Tails and Tails gave him the 'Why'd you do that for? I had her myself!' look.

"Sure." Rikku said, finishing her food, along with Tails.

"…With all the food on your plate, I'm pretty surprised." Sam chuckled at his remark, and Tails too, chuckled.

"To be frank, so am I." Tails said, and he got up.

"…Let's get going." Tails said, and the group nodded, walking out of the restaurant with full stomachs.

"…Speaking of which…Nodoka?" Sam asked, and she looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Considering we're taking our leave tomorrow…well, your decision on that, really…think we can head somewhere?" Sam asked, and Nodoka nodded.

"Sure. It's not like we really have anywhere else to go." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"…That's only if your mom allows us to leave so early. We'll have to take leave at the morning…is eight alright?" Sam asked, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Just hope she says yes." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded, 솓 group walking back to Nodoka's…

Around 10 minutes later, they reached Nodoka's, and she sighed. "Mom? Do you mind if I go tomorrow?" Nodoka asked, and she sighed.

"…No…but remember to write, alright?" Scarlet said, and she shed a tear.

"…I'm finally seeing the day where you're going on your own…it came a lot faster than I thought." Scarlet said, and Nodoka sighed.

"I'll write, don't worry…" Nodoka said, and Scarlet sighed.

"I'm just a bit concerned…" Scarlet said, and Sam sighed.

_"Define 'just a bit'…"_ Sam thought, and he sighed.

"…I'll leave you two alone, some mother daughter bonding time in the time that you may have." Sam said, and he walked out of the house, Sonic nodding and following, along with the rest.

"…Good night." Tails said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Good night." Nodoka said, and the vulpine ran to catch up with the group entering a hotel nearby…

* * *

Well…here's another chapter. My inspiration didn't really catch with me, so…yeah. My life's getting a bit stressful, with everything going on…and apparently, the people in my family are catching on. I'll have to go to my uncle's house for most of the weekend, so a chapter might be a while…here's a little something to keep you all busy. Hope you enjoyed, R&R, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	15. Destined Knowledge

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Destined Knowledge

"…Alright, Mom, I'm taking my leave." Nodoka said, and Scarlet tearing, Nodoka hugged her.

"…I'll write, don't worry…" Nodoka said half jokingly and half seriously.

"Right…" Scarlet said, and she wiped her tears away.

"…My girl's growing up…" Scarlet said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Let's go." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

Sam rushed south, and the group followed, leaving a smirking Scarlet closing the door. "…You said we're going to head somewhere because you wanted to show me something?" Nodoka asked, and Sam nodded.

"Yeah. Just a bit more…" Sam said, and after around 10 minutes, they stopped.

"…Decretus. Insendius. Levitas. Vent." Decretus suddenly appeared in a flash of white light, Insendius in a burst of flame, Levitas after a thunderous sound was heard, and Vent appeared after a gale of wind in front of the group.

"…So…this is the Chosen's helper…" Insendius said, and Sam nodded.

"…What are you talking about?" Nodoka asked, obviously confused.

"…Cailgus! Glacius! Toxicus!" Decretus shouted, and a trio of minks appeared.

"You called, Decretus?" The black one spoke, and Decretus nodded.

"…It is time." Decretus stated, and the trio nodded.

"…Who is it?" A green one spoke, and Decretus pointed to Nodoka, as she slowly stepped backward.

"…Do not be afraid, young one. Your time as the Chosen's helper is here…accept it, as it is fate…" Decretus said, and Nodoka, calming down but still confused, stepped forward.

"…My name is Toxicus, master of poison, and I shall help you in your task…You have a great amount of strength…to be helping the Chosen is a great task; just don't mess it up. You will have many trials along the way…ready or not, because they will come, just like this day. With the power within me and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the deadly element of poison!" His voice was that of a young man, but a bit rougher. A green light shone from above, and it lifted Nodoka into the air, and she dropped to the ground when it dissipated.

"My name is Glacius, master of ice…you shall face many challenges outside and inside your body and mind…they shall be overcome not as an individual, but as a duo. Together, the Chosen and the Chosen's helper…they can accomplish anything. I believe in you two; destroy the one of darkness eternal! With the power within me and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the frostbitten power of ice!" His voice was cold, yet gentle. A light blue light shone from above, and Nodoka was once again lifted into the air, and she fell again when it dissipated.

"My name is Caligus, master of Chaos and Shadow…young one, you may have darkness within you, but always remember this: the light of truth outshines the depths of the darkness within, and any Chaos may always be resolved with Order…with the power within me and the destiny of the Chosen's path, I give you the blinding powers of Chaos and Shadow!" His voice was deep and sophisticated, and a black light shone from above, and she was lifted into the air, and dropped a final time, the light dissipating.

"…Oww…Well…this leaves a lot of questions to be answered…"Nodoka rubbed her head in pain, and she stood up.

"…If you think you're off the hook by just gaining these abilities, you're wrong." Sam's father stepped from the shadows, and stepped up to Sam and Nodoka.

"…So, she's your girl, huh?" Sam nodded, and Nodoka blushed.

"…Nice to meet you." Nodoka nodded, and he continued to speak.

"…Onto business. Son, as the Chosen, you must destroy the one of darkness eternal, along with your partner…These two years shall be your training time. You shall be shocked at what you discover on your journey." Sam's father then stepped back into the shadows, and when Sam tried to go after him, he disappeared in a puff of ash.

"…And he's gone." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Well...we may as well start." Sam said, and Nodoka nodded.

"…Oh, and I almost forgot. Rikku?" Sam asked, and she came up to him.

"…Prepare yourself!" Sam said, rushing up to Rikku with Chiharu, and she dodged the stab headed for her.

"…Just keep fighting until you run out of mental and physical energy…only then." Sam said, and he assumed a fighting stance.

"…Ready?" Rikku nodded, and Sam rushed forward in ball form, sticking Chiharu out.

She dodged the attack, and tried to focus on his weak spot. Sam threw a Chaos Spear at her, she dodged, but he held it in the air behind her. He twitched his finger back, and Rikku jumped, avoiding the spear, and Sam stopped it. He rushed forward, and leaped into the air, and kicked Rikku, also sending the Chaos Spear to her. She used her dagger to guard against it, and she rushed forward, and stopping in front of the ebony hedgehog, who smirked. He sliced vertically upward, and she dodged to hit him in the chest, and then to the shoulder with her daggers. She attempted to finish the fight with a strike to the head, but he backed up against a tree, and Rikku threw a dagger at him. He then leaped into the air, allowing Rikku to get her dagger back, and then uppercut her, although she flipped backward in midair, landing gracefully on her feet. "…There's only one thing I haven't tried…" Sam said, and he focused his energy forward as Rikku threw a dagger at him.

"…Wind!" Sam said, and suddenly, a gale of wind emerged from his palms, pushing the dagger back to Rikku, who caught it.

"…So…that's what I can do. Alright…let me test this out!" Sam said, and Rikku got in a defensive stance.

"Wind!" Sam said, placing his hands behind him, and he suddenly was in the air, and bursting forward at a high speed, Rikku in a defensive stance.

He summoned Chiharu, and attempted to hit her with his blade, but she stayed firmly to the ground, and as he struck the daggers with Chiharu, she smirked. "Too easy!" Rikku said, and she lifted her daggers upward, Sam's hand going upward as well, he gasped.

Rikku then spun with her hands holding the daggers outstretched, and Sam was cut in the legs. "…Nice." Sam said, and he got into a fighting stance again, although winced from some cuts on his chest and shoulders.

"…Not too bad yourself." Rikku said, and Sam nodded.

"Lightning!" Sam said, pointing Chiharu toward her, and suddenly, a bolt of lightning went toward her, and she blocked it with her daggers, the lightning being absorbed into her daggers!

"Fire!" Sam said, and as Rikku threw a dagger at him, he poked the ground with Chiharu, and a dome of flame surrounded him, the dagger being deflected by the sudden force of the flames.

The flames died down, and Sam smirked. "Fire!" Sam said, showing one open hand to Rikku, and he then shouted: "Wind!" he then pointed his other hand to the ground.

Rikku's eyes widened, and as Sam was being lifted into the air by the wind power, and the fireballs being shot from the air, she ran. When Sam landed, she then threw the other lightning infused dagger at him, and he was hit in the leg. "…Crud…I can't move!" Sam said, as his leg was paralyzed, and Rikku then struck him with the other lightning infused dagger in the right arm, and Chiharu disappeared back into Sam.

"…Heh. You've won, actually…not!" Sam said, and Rikku stepped back.

"Wind!" Sam said, lifting himself up into the air with the electrified arm that also paralyzed his hand.

He then burst forward with wind, intending to knock Rikku into the ground, but she sidestepped, and Sam's eyes widened: a tree was behind her. "Aw, man…" Sam said, before bracing himself as he hit the tree head on!

"…Oww…" Sam said, and he felt his arm and leg, and was able to move them.

"Hah!" Rikku said, exhausted, before Sam pushed her onto the floor, and pointed Chiharu at her.

"…The battle still wasn't over, y'know." Sam smirked, and she rested on the floor.

"…Yeah, I've got nothing." Rikku said, and Sam nodded.

"…Now…find in your heart…what you want most, without hesitation." Sam said, and Rikku thought.

"…I don't really know. Everything I want I already have…I guess more things to want?" Rikku said jokingly, and Sam sighed, cutting her hand.

_"Man, I feel so wrong doing this…" _Sam thought, and Rikku sighed.

"Can you get off?" Rikku said, and Sam planted a kiss on her lips.

"…What is your PROBLEM?! I want to kick you SO HARD where the sun doesn't shine, it will create a CRATER there!" Rikku said, kicking Sam where the sun, indeed did not shine, and Sam had the '…PAIN!' face on.

"…It worked then." Sam said, trying to hold in the yells of pain he had, and he turned to Rikku, who had eight lightning infused daggers behind her, all identical to her twin daggers.

"…You can go drown in a lake if you do that again!" Rikku said, and two of the eight daggers struck him in the legs, and he then yelled.

"…THIS IS EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL!" Sam said, tears coming out of his eyes from the pain.

"…Wait…I remember that she gave me the power also…I think it was…Hootai!" Nodoka said, pointing to Sam, who was now covered in bandages.

"…Great job, Rikku!" Tails said, and Rikku sighed, her eight daggers disappearing, and she placed her original two back in their sheathes.

"…Why did he…?" Rikku asked, and Tails sighed.

"…Because you didn't think of anything that you wanted most, he had to do something to make one. Apparently that was the result…" Tails said, and Rikku pouted.

"…I was about to say to be with you before he…y'know, but he was a bit too quick." Rikku said, and Tails blushed.

"…What were those daggers doing behind me?" Rikku asked, and Nodoka looked at her.

"…It's your Soulbend, Rikku. Well, at least some of it. You have an offensive type, allowing you to summon a weapon or weapons to aid you in battle." Nodoka explained, and she nodded.

"I'm still confused about all this…but I get some of it." Rikku said, and Nodoka nodded.

"So were we." Sonic said, recalling the time they obtained their Soulbends; it was quite an ordeal.

"…Let's put the past behind us, shall we?" Sam said, still in the bandages, and Chiharu came out of the bandages.

"…Wait…let me try something." Chiharu said, and he entered Rikku.

"…I don't feel anything weird…" Rikku said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…Juuchi, see if he's doing anything in there…" Nodoka said, summoning Juuchi to go inside Rikku as well, and Nodoka sighed.

Chiharu then went out of Rikku, along with Juuchi. "…Yeah, your Soulbend's there…you've yet to meet it. She's a nice person." Chiharu said, giving Rikku a thumbs up.

"…Don't get any ideas, alright?" Juuchi said, patting Chiharu's head.

"I know…" Chiharu said, and he chuckled, pecking Juuchi.

"Besides, could I really get anyone to replace you?" Chiharu said, Juuchi now blushing.

"…Well, it does seem you two were made for each other." Sairai suddenly appeared next to the couple, and he smirked.

"…Not again…" Sengen appeared next to Sairai, and Chiharu smirked.

"…Hey, Sengen? Want to see your wielder's Soulbend?" Chiharu said, and Sengen shrugged.

"…Why not? The two ARE going out after all…" Sengen said slyly, and Rikku blushed along with Tails.

"Alright, let's go." The duo went inside Rikku, and only 5 minutes passed; Sengen came out blushing, while Chiharu holding in laughter.

"…What's the matter?" Sam asked, now free of the bandages.

"He ended up K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" Chiharu said playfully, and Sengen blushed harder.

"…She was a nice vixen and all…" Sengen said shyly, and Chiharu laughed.

"…Well…it seems one thing is true, out of everything; if a couple is made in real life, then the Soulbends will also pair up." Sam said, and Decretus clapped.

"…That was a nice battle back there. You fought well, Sam and Rikku." Decretus said, and Sam nodded.

"…Thanks. Although…Did you _REALLY_ have to do that?!" Rikku said, and Sam sighed.

"…He's already told you…look, it's pointless on arguing about the past. Just LETIGO…" Sam said, and Rikku raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean 'let it go'?" Rikku asked, and Sam shook his head.

"…Not how I say it. LETIGO…" Sam repeated, and Rikku chuckled.

"Just don't do that again…" Rikku said, slapping him, and he nodded.

"…Oh, and by the way, I heard what you WOULD'VE said…you should've said that before, y'know." Sam said, and Rikku sighed.

"I was thinking." Rikku stated simply.

Sengen went back inside Tails, whose stomach rumbled. "…Oh, yeah…we haven't eaten." Tails said, and Decretus nodded.

"I'll prepare something." Decretus said, and the group followed him, and waited at a table anxiously…

* * *

Well, here's another one, before school starts again. I intend to make this 'Training Saga' a bit lengthy, so for those who enjoy fight scenes, you're in luck. I also intend to include a bit more fluff in here as well; this won't be your average filler arc. Well, define 'average'. R&R, hope you enjoyed, I'll see ya next chapter!

…Oh, yeah…and the new elements Nodoka has, their respective master's names are based off of Latin words…here are some translations!

Translations:

**Caligus:** A name based on the Latin word 'Caliga' meaning 'Darkness'.

**Glacius:** A name based on the Latin word 'Glacies' meaning 'Ice'.

**Toxicus:** A name based on the Latin word 'Toxicum' meaning 'Poison'.

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	16. Transformation

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Transformation

"…Hey, Nodoka." Sam said, and she turned to him.

"Hey." Nodoka said, and a silence was formed between the two, and after minute, the regimental hedgehog spoke.

"…Are you nervous?" Sam asked, and she raised an eyebrow.

"…The fate of the world…well, not really, but we have an important job to do, and really, I'm kind of nervous. 'To destroy the one of darkness eternal'…I'm having some doubts about what I can do.

"Don't be like that!" Nodoka said, and the ebony and green hedgehog looked at her.

"…Hmm?" Sam said, and she gulped.

"You've done so much…you've risked your life on more than one occasion, you're strong enough to press on when some may give up…especially to save someone. I might be nervous…but this is our fate we're talking about. I don't have much doubt that we can do this!" Nodoka said confidently, and Sam smirked.

"…I guess so…Although, what of the others? Sonic, Tails, Blaze, Rikku…" Sam began to list, and Nodoka shrugged.

"I suppose we'll get back to them once we're done with this 'Chosen' business." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"…That is, if you survive." Caligus appeared behind Nodoka, and she jumped, startled.

"If we survive?" Sam asked, and Caligus forlornly nodded.

"…The last Chosen, the first, he…well, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but something happened to him. He defeated the one of darkness eternal, yes…but he was corrupted by his own power, and absorbed the darkness within the one of darkness eternal. He was sealed…and we fear he may come back." Caligus said, and Sam looked at him.

"…I won't become like that, will I?" Sam asked nervously, and Caligus shook his head.

"Your darkness within is incredibly low…I believe you shall not." Caligus said, and Sam nodded.

"…I must go. I shall see you two in due time…meaning later. Chao!" Caligus said, and he sunk into the ground, a puddle of darkness was formed beneath him and the puddle disappeared once he was sunk underneath.

"He's right though, your darkness is really low." Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"…I guess I should stop worrying…" Sam said, and Nodoka smiled.

"That's the spirit." Nodoka said, and Sam smirked.

"...What are you talking about? I thought you would have it today!" A voice was heard, and Sam and Nodoka peeked inside a room, to see Insendius in his room, talking on the phone.

"…WHAT?! You're delaying the date to next week?!" Insendius said, rage filling his voice.

"...Alright, alright…I'll wait until then. Thank you." He then shut off his cell phone, and suddenly, an intense heat was coming from him, and he burst into flame.

"…THIS IS ABSURD TO THE EXTREME!!! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!" Insendius yelled, and Decretus entered the room in a flash of light.

"What's wrong, Insendius?" Decretus asked, and Insendius was now burning the wooden floor.

"…HE PUSHED BACK THE RELEASE DATE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!" Insendius said, and Decretus sighed.

"…Order!" Decretus said, and a white flash of light engulfed the room, and suddenly, Insendius was calmer, the flames now dying.

"…Thanks." Insendius said, and he was suddenly punched by Decretus, as calm as ever.

"…Don't make such a noise next time…especially over something like that." Decretus said, giving him the 'You have been warned…' look.

"Alright…" Decretus then walked out of the room, to find a shocked Sam and Nodoka outside of the door, their mouths agape.

"Hello…is anything the matter?" Decretus asked, and he waved his hand over the duo's faces, and shrugged, walking away.

_"He was mad over that?! Unbelievable…"_ Sam thought.

_"Over one tiny thing…That's ridiculous!" _Nodoka thought, and Sam, regaining his composure, closed her agape mouth.

_"…The power of order…it calms people?"_ Sam thought, and he shrugged.

Glacius walked up to Nodoka, and she snuggled on Sam's chest. "…What's with her?" Glacius asked, and Sam shrugged.

"It's a habit she has; she tends to snuggle on my chest when she's cold. It seems as though you're radiating a cold aura." Sam said, and Glacius nodded.

"…Ah…That'd be my bad." Glacius then closed his eyes, and the temperature suddenly went up.

"…Nodoka…" Sam said, and the regimental hedgehog noticed what she was doing, and stopped.

"I wanted to talk to you about…well…can you excuse us for a bit, Sam?" Glacius said, and the ebony hedgehog walked away.

"…I wanted to talk to you about Sam." Glacius said quietly, and Nodoka nodded.

"…What of him?" Nodoka said, and Glacius sighed.

"…How'd you meet him?" Glacius said curiously, and Nodoka began to speak…

* * *

"…Just calm down, Blaze…oh, yeah, I almost forgot!" Sonic said to Blaze soothingly, as she was on fire; she was quite angry.

"What is it?!" Blaze said, and he pulled out a toy mouse.

"Hardy har har…do you always go for misconceptions? What's it going to do, run on the floor?" Blaze said, and he threw it at her face, and it hit her on the head.

"Oww…what does this have in it?" Blaze said, and she suddenly felt very relaxed, the flames dying almost instantly, and she walked up to Sonic clumsily.

"…Blaze?" Sonic asked, and she began to purr as she hugged him.

"…You gave her some catnip?" Sam asked, and Sonic turned and nodded, now facing him.

"A toy mouse full of it." Sonic said, and Sam sighed.

"It's really powerful…whatever you do; don't let her get anymore-"Sam was cut off by her placing the toy mouse filled with catnip on the floor, and then licking it.

"Catnip." Sam said, and Sonic looked at her.

"…Sonic…" Blaze said with a slur, and Sonic took the toy mouse with catnip, and suddenly, Blaze sprung up at him, knocking the both of them to the ground.

She then started to rub on Sonic's chest, and he blushed. "…Good luck with that. With the amount of catnip you put in there, it'll be a while…I'll say 30 minutes to an hour. Have fun with your cat!" Sam said walking away as Sonic's face turned into one of desperation and enjoyment…

* * *

"It's nice…isn't it? Getting away from everyone else…just relaxing, the two of us…" Rikku said, and Tails nodded.

"Yeah…" Tails replied, and he passed Rikku a screwdriver; they were building the aforementioned dimensional walkie-talkie.

"…Indeed…" Sam said, walking up to the duo, and Rikku sighed.

"So much for being alone…" Tails said, and Sam shrugged.

"Meh, I'm just bored." Sam said, and he walked away from the duo.

"…Want to take a break?" Tails said, and Rikku nodded.

"…Wait…if you're going to take a break…focus on what you desire most…and summon those daggers." Sam said, now leaving the two alone.

_"…This might be a bit surreal…but fine."_ Rikku thought, and she focused on Tails' and her relationship.

Suddenly, she was in a blank space, and a yellow furred, green eyed vixen wearing a striped blouse along with jeans, and gloves and converse walked up to her. "Hey." The vixen said, raising a hand.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Rikku said, slightly panicking.

"Relax; I'm your Soulbend. Apparently that guy…Sam, was it? He asked you if you wanted to gain one…here I am." The vixen then smirked, and scenarios with Tails and Rikku suddenly popped up.

"…What's happening…?" Rikku asked, and the vixen sighed.

"You're kind of oblivious…should've expected. This is a blank space of your mind; what you really want is stored here…and you want to be with that fox. You already are…so go for it!" The vixen said, and Rikku nodded.

"Right…Before anything else…I never got your name. What was it?" Rikku asked, and the vixen chuckled.

"My name? Oh, and you might want to shout this out. Shout…"

Suddenly, Tails began to wave his hand in front of Rikku's face; her eyes were closed tight. "Rikku, are you…" Tails said, worried.

"Botsuraku… Botsuraku, Chiraikou!" Rikku shouted, and the eight electrically infused daggers appeared in back of Rikku, and now, yellow spiritual lines were visible to only her, connecting each of the daggers to her.

"…Nice job, Rikku." Sam returned with a smug grin.

"You feel it, don't you? The spiritual energy?" Sam said, and Rikku nodded, and calmed down, the daggers dissipating.

"Yeah, she feels it." A voice was heard, and Chiraikou came out.

"Hey." Chiraikou said, raising a hand.

"Another one…we're going to have a lot more people in the party, aren't we?" Chiharu then came out of Sam, and he waved to Chiraikou.

"…Name's Chiraikou." The yellow vixen said, and Chiharu nodded.

"I'm Chiharu." Chiharu said, and the vixen nodded.

"…Alright then, Chi-chan/kun." Chiharu and Chiraikou said in unison, and they smirked.

"I'm really shocked…how did she manage to get out to the real world?" Sam asked himself, and he realized.

"…You two must be connected somehow…deeply…" Sam said, referring to Rikku and Chiraikou.

"Let's see…gender, species, they care about style, evidently, they kind of seem alike in most cases." Sam said, and Rikku smirked.

"…Do you care about style?" Rikku asked, and Chiraikou nodded.

"Yes. Note that I can do this." Chiraikou then snapped her fingers once, and her outfit changed to resemble that of Rikku's.

"…Sweet!" Rikku said, and Chiraikou smirked.

"Indeed…that's a pretty trick you have there." Chiharu said bending down, and Sam sighed, and kicked him in the face.

"Pervert." Sam said, and Chiraikou then slapped him.

"Alright, stop with the lover's spat…" Sam said jokingly, and the two gave him a death glare.

"HE/SHE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND!" The two Chis said in unison, and Sam chuckled.

"…Just joking…" Sam said.

"C'mon, Nodoka's probably done with the chatting. Let's go, Chiharu." Sam said, and Chiharu waved to Chiraikou.

"I'll see you later, Chi-chan!" Chiharu said, and Chiraitou nodded.

"…Sengen." Tails said, and his Soulbend came out.

"What is it no-Hey." Sengen said, and Chiraikou chuckled.

"Nice to see you again…I never got your name." Chiraikou said, and Sengen blushed.

"…You can call me Sengen…I know your name now, however…Chiraikou, right?" Sengen asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah…I guess it feels better to be here than in multiple weapons?" Sengen asked randomly, and she shrugged.

"…More or less. I split my body into eighths, and then transform them into the daggers, you see. It's not painful, just tedious." She explained, and Sengen nodded.

"I presume you end up having to put yourself back together?" Sengen said, and Chiraikou nodded.

"After you've been split apart a lot, you know where and what everything is. I'll just leave it at that." Chiraikou said jokingly, and Sengen chuckled.

"Oh, and Rikku…catch!" Tails threw a cold bottle of water to her, and she caught it.

"Thirsty, Sengen?" The dragon nodded, and he threw a bottle of water, which he caught as well.

"Same here!" Chiraikou said, and Tails threw another, which she caught.

* * *

"…Hey, Nodoka." Sam said, and the regimental hedgehog looked at him.

"Hey. We were talking about some things…I've decided. We might as well train…as much as we can. May as well start…" Nodoka said, jumping off the treehouse, and landing on the ground.

She pointed Juuchi at Sam, and he nodded. "Prepare yourself!" Nodoka said, and he leaped to her, Chiharu summoned…

* * *

"…What happened…hmm?" Blaze suddenly awoke on Sonic's chest as the cobalt hedgehog was lying down.

"Oh, you're awake?" Sonic said, and Blaze slapped him.

"What did you do?!" Blaze asked angrily, and Sonic chuckled.

"Nothing much…you just went a bit…well, over the border after you saw some catnip, and-" Sonic was cut off by another slap from the now flaming feline.

"Catnip?! That's dangerous material! You drugged me with that, you…you…" Blaze was flaming and Sonic sighed.

"I didn't know it was that powerful! I only meant to calm you down…" Sonic said, and Blaze sighed, and her flames died.

"…Just put a LITTLE next time, alright…" Blaze said, and Sonic sighed.

"Alright…but if that much still has a effect, don't blame me." Sonic said, and suddenly, the sound of fire crackling was heard, and the duo rushed outside.

* * *

"…Wind!" Sam rushed forward, wind aiding him, and Nodoka smirked.

"Poison!" She slammed her hands on the ground, and a green wall of poison emerged, and Sam unable to stop, crashed headfirst, draining him of his energy and consciousness, to an extent.

He backed away slowly, and rubbed his head in pain. "Oww…I know we're training, but don't try to kill me…" Sam said jokingly, and she ran up to him, the poison wall dissipating.

"Are you alright?" Nodoka said, and Sam could only nod before passing out.

"…Apparently not. That poison wall hurts quite a bit…he might want to rest." Toxicus said, walking up to the duo, and Nodoka nodded, now seeing Sonic and Blaze rush to the scene, fire everywhere, ice starting to control the fire…and Sam lying in Nodoka's arms.

"…He got hurt. I'll watch over him; I'm the one that caused this…" Nodoka said with a hint of sadness in her voice, and she walked away.

"…They were practicing?" Sonic asked, and the mink nodded.

"Yes…and one got hurt quite badly. Not much...but he'll be better. Time is all it takes…" Toxicus then stepped where Nodoka's poison wall was, and then felt a strong presence of poison there…

"…She overdid it." Toxicus said, and he walked away…

* * *

"I guess we should get back to work…" Tails said, and Rikku nodded.

"…Yeah…oh and Sengen, Chiraikou…go ahead and do what you want. We'll be done soon, alright?" Tails said, and the duo nodded, going off together.

"…Why'd you do that?" Rikku asked, and Tails smirked.

"I want to see something." Tails replied, and Rikku nodded, picking up a screwdriver.

"…Chiraikou?" Sengen asked, and she looked at the dragon.

"I was wondering…well…I…" Sengen began to blush, and Tails smirked as he watched the duo from afar.

"…It's ironic how he gives me a confidence boost, yet he isn't that great himself…" Tails said, and Rikku sighed.

"…Just leave the two be. Something'll happen." Rikku said, and she watched as well.

"…I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later." The dragon finally managed to say, and Chiraikou could only chuckle.

"You could just say that, y'know…without the hesitation?" Chiraikou said, and Sengen let out a sigh of relief.

"…We've just met, and you're asking me out?" Chiraikou asked, and Sengen sighed.

_"Crud, crud…I shouldn't have sped this up so quickly…and oh boy, have I-"_ His thought was cut off by a simple peck from Chiraikou, who saw the dragon sweating immensely, and she chuckled.

"…If you're going to be so nervous, don't show it…I don't mind going out with you…at least, not minding the situation at hand." Chiraikou said, and Sengen smirked.

"…I suppose. What if Rikku needs you? Or if Tails-"

"They can call us back…and besides, they don't really use us. Rikku's only just figured out about my existence, and Tails can handle a situation himself along with Rikku." Chiraikou said, and Sengen sighed.

"…Alright then, it's settled." Tails said, and walking up to the duo, along with Rikku, the vulpine smirked.

"…Good job." Tails said, giving a thumbs up to Sengen, who looked at Rikku, who looked at Chiraitou, who was looking at Tails.

"…Hold it! If you're going to hang out together, don't leave us! We want to see how this'll work!" Sonic said eagerly, and Blaze sighed.

"Let's try NOT to intervene in their business…" Blaze said, and Sengen sighed.

"No, it's fine, really." Sengen reassured, and Blaze nodded.

"Congrats!" Sonic said, giving a thumbs up, and Sengen chuckled.

* * *

"…Sam…I'm sorry." Nodoka said sitting next to the unconscious body of Sam on a bed, and a tear fell from her eye.

"…Heh…don't blame it on yourself…" Sam barely managed to utter before slipping back into unconsciousness.

"...What I'd do to hear you again…" Nodoka said solemnly, and Decretus walked into the room.

"I've heard what happened. He's going to be fine…and he's right, y'know. Don't put the blame so heavily…you make it sound like he's dying, rather than sleeping." Decretus said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…He's just sleeping, I know…I just can't help but worry…poor thing." Nodoka said, and Decretus sighed.

She pecked the hedgehog on the cheek, and shed a tear. "…I dreamt once…that he was gone." Nodoka said, and Decretus looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"…He was just lying there…and I was just standing there in front of him…I felt so…lonely. I cried…and I realized something…If I want to be with him…I'd better just make the most of it." Nodoka said, and Decretus patted her back, as she started to tear.

"…You make things so…complicated…y'know that?" Sam awoke and sat upright, and Nodoka then burst into tears of joy, and hugged him.

"…I thought you were gone…y'know?" Nodoka said, and Sam sighed.

"I die hard." Sam said jokingly, and Nodoka sniffed.

He wiped the tears off her face, and she smiled. "…You tend to take your imagination and think it's reality…you gotta stop doing that, Nodoka." She tightened the grip, and Sam released it.

"…I know…" Nodoka said, and suddenly, a glowing white card was found in their pockets, along with the rest of Sonic's group.

"Ah, you have done the Artificial Contracts…code's Henshin." Decretus said, and the duo of Sam and Nodoka nodded.

"…Before anything else…want to practice again, Nodoka? I think I should be fine." Sam said, and suddenly, a glowing white light filled the room, and a green substance flowed out of Sam, into a bottle.

"…That was the poison in you. I took some of it out using the Order ability." Decretus said, and Sam nodded.

"…Alright." Nodoka said, going outside, but suddenly, a crash was heard, and the group went outside to see a large mecha, and Eggman Nega inside it.

"So persistent…" Sonic said, arriving on scene with the rest of the group, along with Sengen and Chiraikou.

"…Alright, I just want to end this…Chiha-" Sam was cut off by Nodoka, and he was about to say something, but stopped, as she had a look of determination in her eyes.

"…I won't let you get hurt…not again!" She landed in front of the mecha, and Eggman Nega smiled.

"Well hello! I'm sorry, but you're interfering, and must be destroyed." Eggman Nega swiped at Nodoka, and she smirked.

"…Henshin!" Nodoka said holding up her card, and suddenly, she was lifted into the air, the clothes she wore disappeared, being replaced by a white light, and she blushed heavily.

"What kind of ability is this?!" Nodoka said, and after the light faded away, it was revealed she suddenly had a large book, and her usual magenta dress was replaced with a red silk kimono with a black tree on it, and she had gained a relatively large book, around twice her size.

"…Well…this is new." Nodoka said, and as another swipe was coming to her, she dodged it.

"I'm afraid you have to go now. Goodbye." Nodoka leaped the air as the mecha swiped at her, and the book then glowed, and she opened it to a page showing where the mecha's weak spots were.

"…Go, and don't return!" Nodoka said, and she swung the book at it from midair, and an incredibly strong gust of wind hit the mecha, tearing the legs off.

"No!" Eggman Nega's mecha then writhed on the floor, and Nodoka smirked, and rushed up to the mecha, book in hand.

"…Goodbye!" She hit the mecha in the cockpit with the book, and it went flying into the air, past the town that they were in, and an explosion was heard.

"Nice one, Nodoka." Sam said, and she smirked.

"Let's get started!" Sam said, and he hopped in place.

"Right. Recoru, Juuchi Yosamu!" She summoned Juuchi, and assumed a fighting stance.

"Chiharu!" Sam summoned Chiharu, and he too assumed a fighting stance.

"…We were just about to train as well! How about we make this a boys versus girls?" Sonic said confidently, and the group nodded in agreement.

"Alright…bring it on!" Tails said, lining with Sam and Sonic in a horizontal line, facing the girls, and they all summoned their respective Soulbends, and faced their respective soul mates.

"…This is going to hurt me, more than it does you." Tails said, lightning charging in his hands, and Rikku chuckled.

"Nah, it's the other way around." Rikku taunted, and her 10 daggers prepared, she was ready.

"Don't hold back, Blaze. Give it your all, and don't give up!" Sonic said, a blue aura around him, and Blaze nodded.

"I will if you will. Prepare yourself!" Blaze said, and blue flames surrounded her.

"…Well, this is practice. Don't hurt yourself too badly, alright?" Sam said, pointing Chiharu to Nodoka, and she nodded.

"Same goes for you…that's the last thing I'd want." Nodoka pointed Juuchi at Sam, and they all assumed a fighting stance…

* * *

Well…that's all of it. Balancing everything out is a bit easier now, for some odd reason, so I'm fine now…Time is of the essence is I'm going to type, still. I've been playing a bit of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney; it's a good game…as well as Big Bang Mini, Megaman Starforce Dragon, Custom Robo Arena…hooked on DS games at the moment…trying to prepare for the tournament in May as well. Hope you enjoyed, R&R, I'll see you next!

Translations:

**Botsuraku, Chiraikou-** Fall, 1000 Lightning.

**Henshin**- Japanese word for: "Transformation".

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	17. Trinity

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Trinity

The group was fighting for a while now, around one hour and 30 minutes passed. "Whoa!" Tails jumped back to avoid a barrage of stabs from the floating daggers behind Rikku, who was controlling them.

"Aw, c'mon…entertain me, will you?" She taunted, and the vixen rushed forward, and Tails, unsure of what to do, charged lightning in his hand.

"C'mon!" She unleashed another flurry of stabs, Tails being hit only once in the leg, and he found himself unable to move that leg.

"Fire!" Tails unleashed the lightning in his hand, and it shot the two daggers out of her hand.

She then hit the other leg with a lightning powered dagger, and Tails, unable to move, simply stood there while Rikku regained her two original daggers. "I wonder…Appello!" Suddenly, 10 transparent blue daggers appeared, and she was confused…

"Hah!" Tails struck Rikku in the stomach, and she stumbled a bit, although she managed to send a dagger to Tails in the arm, and the transparent blue one struck right after the original.

"Oh…now I get it. If I attack, the blue dagger strikes right after…" Rikku smirked while Tails ran to avoid yet another flurry of stabs from the daggers, and Rikku chuckled.

"C'mon, step it up!" Sonic taunted, doing a windmill while Blaze threw multiple blue fireballs at the cobalt hedgehog.

"Already have!" Blaze said, and a small ball of blue flame landed in front of Sonic, and then exploded, knocking him to a nearby tree, and he groaned; his quills stuck to the tree.

"…Blaze…help…" Sam pulled him out, and avoided a stab from Nodoka, who smirked.

"Thanks." Sonic then kicked Nodoka in the shoulder, and Sam nodded.

"No problem." He then spin-dashed Blaze, and tried to stab Nodoka, who parried against it, and countered with a stab of her own to the arm.

"Heads up, Sonic!" Tails said, and Rikku headed toward Sonic, daggers flying toward him, and he whistled.

"Too close…" Sonic said, and Sam was hit by a dagger in the waist, and he couldn't move the lower half of his body.

"…Lucky that didn't hit my-"He was cut off by a blue fireball from Blaze, and was knocked back, the trio of femme fatales facing him.

"…Tails, Sonic…fight your girls…quickly…" Sam said, and Sonic rushed up to Blaze, who sent a wall of fire, separating the boys from Sam, who chuckled nervously; this would be painful, unless he though of something to get him over the wall.

"…Wind!" Sam propelled himself high enough to surpass the wall of fire, and burst forward, landing on the other side.

"Flame Thunder!" Sam said, and he overlapped his hands outward and a solid beam of yellow and red sped forward, and the trio barely dodged the beam.

"Fire!" Sam said, and he focused on his feet, propelling him upward with fire, and he smirked.

"Lightning!" He then focused lightning on his palm, and shot bolts of lightning at the trio of girls, who dodged, and Rikku managed to capture lightning in her twin daggers.

She then leaped in front of him, and stabbed him in the arm and legs, and he was falling to the ground, when suddenly, Nodoka caught the falling hedgehog, and he stood up. "Thanks, Nodoka." Sam said, and she nodded.

"I told you, the last thing I'd want is for you to get hurt badly; look at yourself." Nodoka said, and as a small trickle of blood appeared from a cut on his arm, she took a gloved finger and wiped it off.

"…Well, I get what I ask for; a three on three, and all the pain coming with it." Sam said jokingly, and Nodoka sighed.

"I guess…but, I'm just curious…can you do Henshin?" Nodoka asked, and Sam nodded.

"I guess. Sonic, I'm curious to see what your Henshin is…can you?" Sam said, looking at him.

"Sure, Tails?" Tails nodded, and then looked at Blaze.

"…Fine." Blaze said, and Rikku pulled out her card as well.

"I'll feel left out." Rikku said, and Sam nodded, wincing a little from the stabs and cuts.

"On three…one…two…three!" Sam counted, and the group held up their cards.

"Henshin!" The group said, and Sam was lifted into the air, and a white light surrounded him.

He suddenly gained a medieval styled dark green and gold imperial robe, and a pike, frozen blood on the blade. "…Sweet." Sam said, swinging the pike, and Nodoka took it from him, signaling him to stop.

Sonic gained shoulder plates, along with leg armor, and his spikes were covered in armor as well. "Not bad…great fit." Sonic said, walking clumsily.

Tails gained a yellow top hat, and a yellow robe with white outlines with a small notepad. "…You look more cuddly than usual." Nodoka said jokingly, and Tails chuckled.

Blaze gained a gothic dress along with a miniskirt; basically a gothic French maid's outfit. "…What the heck is this?!" Blaze said, and Sonic laughed, when suddenly, she was covered in black flames, and Sam's eyes became wide.

"This is just…ugh." Blaze said, lazily throwing a fireball at the ground, and it made a deep hole, and her eyes widened as well, and her flames dissipated.

Rikku gained a red dress with golden beads embedded into it, and crimson stilettos to match, and gently floated down. "…Two words. Scorching Hot. With a capital S and H. No lie." Rikku said, and Tails looked at her in awe, his mouth agape, the vixen simply looked at the vulpine with a smirk, and he nearly fell down.

"…Earth to Tails? Wake up…" Sam said, waving a hand to the dazed vulpine, and he looked at Rikku.

"Scorching hot, indeed!" Sam said, and Tails got up and simply nodded quickly.

"…Stop imagining your little fantasies, Tails…" Sengen suddenly popped out of Tails, and slapped him a little, and he came back to the real world.

"Aww, the kid's embarrassed…Well, I don't blame him, you look stunning!" Chiraikou came out in the same outfit Rikku was wearing, and Sengen had the same expression Tails made; the 'Stay calm…resist your thoughts…' expression.

"…Heh. Poor thing's stunned." Reiki no Honou suddenly came out of Blaze, and the group looked at her, a red cat with heels similar to Blaze's along with gloves, and red eyes, her hair being let loose, a pink flame tint at the end of her hair.

"How come you haven't appeared? You're usually the social one, Reiki." Blaze said, and she chuckled.

"Don't know. Don't really care much." Reiki said, and as if it was a cue, Sairai appeared from Sonic.

"…Why, hello there…" Sairai walked up to the 'newcomer', and Reiki raised an eyebrow slowly.

"…Umm…hello?" Reiki backed away, and Sairai looked at her.

"…I don't believe we've met. I'm Sairai. Nice to meet you…Reiki, was it?" The red furred feline nodded slowly, and in a gale of wind, he disappeared, and reappeared in front of the feline, who was blushing.

"Yeah, heheh…that's me." Reiki said, backing away from Sairai, and Chiharu suddenly came out of Sam, and grasped the dragon's shoulder.

"…If you're going to start a relationship, do it AFTER you get to know at least a decent amount about them; love at first sight doesn't work in most cases…aside from Sam and Nodoka, and Chiraikou and Sengen to a extent. C'mon…control yourself." Chiharu said, and Sengen backed away, noticing the feline was blushing harder than her fur color.

"…Thanks." Reiki said to Chiharu, and he nodded, Juuchi coming out of Nodoka.

"Another one?" Juuchi asked, and Sam sighed.

"…You can say that's a yes and a no. She's been in Blaze all this time, but never bothered to show." Chiharu turned to the green hedgehog, and she nodded.

"…Ironic how Blaze says you're the more social one…" Chiharu said, and Reiki, loosening up, shrugged.

Tails slowly walked up to Rikku, and the vulpine pecked Rikku nervously, and she sighed. "If it's because of my outfit, I can revert back to normal." Rikku said, and doing so, Tails returned to reality, and he chuckled.

"…Sorry." The vulpine apologized, and Rikku sighed.

"Control yourself better." Rikku said, and Tails nodded.

Sengen broke out of it, and began to talk to Chiraikou. "…So…it's turning into night…Where do you want to go?" Sengen asked, and the vixen shrugged.

"I don't know. I suppose we'll just walk around." Chiraikou said, and the duo turned to their respective wielders.

"We'll be going now, alright?" Sengen said, and Tails nodded.

"Alright…but where do you plan to go?" Tails asked, and Sengen had the 'Staying calm, but why did he ask the question that I didn't want to answer…' face on.

"…Oh, we're planning to take a hike…enjoy nature…yeah." Chiraikou said, and Rikku sighed.

"You're going to walk aimlessly?" Rikku asked, and Chiraikou sweatdropped.

"…Yeah." Sengen said, and he chuckled.

"C'mon, Chiraikou." Sengen said, walking away, Chiraikou quickly catching up…

"Well, we're heading out for a date too…we'll see you later." Sonic and Blaze said, their respective Soulbends getting inside their wielders, and Rikku and Tails followed.

"…We've got nothing to do…no money either." Nodoka said, and Sam shrugged.

"Who said we needed money to go on a date?" Sam slyly said, walking up to the regimental hedgehog, and he sighed.

"We could just simply sit down, watch the night sky, and enjoy our company. No need for fancy dinners or anything, even though it'd be nice." Sam waved his gloved hand at the sun setting sky, and Nodoka rested on his shoulder, and his Henshin outfit was gone, along with the pike that came with it.

"…You're right." Nodoka trailed her gloved hand through Sam's quills, and the duo looked at the sunset.

* * *

"...Let's go to the buffet from last time!" Sonic suggested, and the other couple nodded.

* * *

"Hey, look, the sun's setting!" Sengen said, staring at the sunset, and Chiraikou snapped her fingers once, and Rikku's Henshin outfit turned into a white sundress, a white pair of boots to match.

"Yeah, it is…" Chiraikou leaned on the dragon's shoulder, and Sengen blushed crimson red, and turning to Chiraikou, who casually made her way nearing his face, the duo kissed.

"…Wow." Sengen uttered, stroking her cheek gently as she stared at him, her emerald green eyes meeting with his crimson orbs, and they kissed once more on the light of the setting sun...

* * *

…Well, here's another chapter! I've got my plans set up, and I'm pretty sure everything's in place. I now can spend some decent time typing, and doing all my homework, as well as train for the tournament…oh, and for those who may be interested…I might make a humor fic, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Hope you enjoyed, R&R, I'll see ya next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	18. Dates and Tranquility

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer:

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Dates and Tranquility

"…It's nice…being here, the two of us." Sam said smirking as he ran his fingers through Nodoka's quills.

"You mean the four of us." Chiharu and Juuchi said in unison as they materialized in front of the duo.

"Right…I guess, considering…well, y'know." Sam got up, and leaned against a tree in back of him.

"Yeah, I know; they aren't weapons; they're just as alive as us." Nodoka said, rolling over to place her head on his chest, and at that note, Chiharu sighed.

"Well, not really. We don't need to eat, sleep, drink…we just need to be there when you tell us to, pretty much." Chiharu said, and turning to Juuchi, she nodded in agreement solemnly.

"I feel so used…" Juuchi said, holding back small tears as Chiharu comforted the crying hedgehog.

"…Look, you were alive, just like me…I know it feels bad to be used as a mere weapon…but you get another chance to see this world, as well as I. We should enjoy it, while these two are alive." Chiharu said reassuringly, Juuchi sighing and resting on his shoulder.

"I suppose…but…" Juuchi was cut off by the mere surprise of a tear trickling down her face, and Chiharu wiped it away quickly.

"Now now…no need for tears…I know all things have to come to an end…but this is why we have to do what we have to in the time we have. C'mon….smile me that gorgeous smile…you know you want to." Chiharu said jokingly, Juuchi chuckling, her tears dropping to the floor as she embraced the hedgehog, and he did the same.

"That's the Juuchi I know and love." Chiharu said, Juuchi blushing at the word 'love'.

Nodoka chuckled slightly as the duo embraced, and Sam stared at her as she did so. The lavender dress she was wearing looked more beautiful on her than anyone else he knew, and her regimental fur shone in the moonlight as she chuckled at the Soulbend couple in front of them. He felt as though he could drown in her emerald orbs, and he felt as though the chuckle coming out of her lips could pierce him at any moment. He trailed his gloved hand across her cheek gently, and looked at her lovingly. "…Nodoka…" Sam slurred, lost in her emerald eyes.

She looked at his dark brown eyes as though they were the only thing in the world, and then stopped to look at his green and black fur, which only looked lighter in the moonlight shining on him. His gloved hand trailed across her cheek again, and she felt as though she could fly on the wings on love, but snapped back into reality, staring the hedgehog in the eyes. "…Have I told you that you look gorgeous?" Sam asked, and the regimental hedgehog chuckled.

"Have I told you that I've been wearing magenta dresses for a while now?" Nodoka said jokingly, as the hedgehog chuckled.

"You look beautiful all the same." She blushed, and Juuchi looked at Nodoka with a smile as she re-entered her wielder, Chiharu following, re-entering Sam.

She leaned next to him on the same tree, and placed her hand over his shoulder, turning her head, looking into the hedgehog's eyes once more, she then leaned in, and kissed him, as the moon's light shone upon their faces, and Sam broke the kiss, only to stare into the eyes of his partner once more… "…Heh." Sam patted her head, and pecked her on the cheek, and stared at the night sky…

* * *

"…Ah…King Crab Legs!" Sonic said, wilding dashing and grabbing some, placing a load of them on his plate, when the manager walked up to Sonic, albeit nervously.

"…Umm…can you stop taking so much?" The manager nervously tapped his shoulder, and he sighed.

"It's an all you can eat buffet, isn't it?" Sonic said, and the manager sighed.

"…Although these are a delicacy. You don't just grab every crab leg on the entire-"He was cut off at the sight of a flaming Blaze, taking what was left of the delicacies, and walking back to her table, along with a large amount of soy sauce and wasabi.

"Great…these are pretty fresh, too." Sonic broke the crab leg, pulled out the meat, and but of course, ate it.

"…Yeah. They keep getting, so it doesn't really matter if you take a lot, right?" Blaze said, taking a claw and sucking the meat out of it.

"Agh…I'm pretty full…" Sonic said, eating his dessert next to the crab legs lazily.

"Where are we headed to after this?" Tails asked, and Rikku shrugged.

"…Let's head to Casinopolis." Sonic suggested, Blaze simply having the 'Again? C'mon…is it really worth it?' face on.

"Human pinball?" Blaze asked, Sonic nodding as he got up from his seat.

"…Fine…but if you throw up, won't be my fault." Blaze said jokingly as Sonic exited the restaurant chuckling, a blue blur being seen, the group rushed to Casinopolis.

* * *

Sengen and Chiraikou were merely lying down at a mountaintop as snow began to fall due to the elevation. Chiraikou threw snow gently toward the dragon as it quickly gathered, and he chuckled, throwing some snow back at her. "Heheh…it's a nice view up here…" Chiraikou said, and Sengen nodded.

"Yup. The serene skies of night spreading across the world, the stars glimmering in the darkness, and the mere view from the mountaintop…astounding." Sengen said, Chiraikou nodding in agreement.

She threw more snow on him, and he rolled over, unintentionally landing on top of Chiraikou, who was blushing harder than Knuckles' fur color. "…The sky's not the only thing that's astounding, y'know…" Chiraikou said, Sengen raising a eyebrow.

"…What would that be?" Sengen asked, honest confusion on his face.

"...The level of embarrassment this pose brings to me!" Chiraikou said, and Sengen finally realized, and got off of her.

"Sorry…" Sengen backed away slowly, and suddenly, he grabbed onto the ledge of the mountaintop; he had nearly fallen quite a distance…

"Sengen!" Chiraikou pulled the beyond afraid dragon up to the mountaintop, and he hugged Chiraikou tightly as she blushed again.

"…Thank you, thank you, and thank you…" Sengen said, Chiraikou blushing harder with each 'thank you', as he hugged tighter with each one.

"…Another thing that's astounding; how amazing you are." Sengen said, Chiraikou blushing as if there was no tomorrow.

She simply kissed him on the lips, Sengen blushing as she did so. The snow was up to the duo's knees, and they were pretty cold, and relied on each other for body warmth. Chiraikou's face brightened suddenly and she began to pile up snow. "…What are you doing?" Sengen asked, again having confusion on his face.

"Making a dome of snow. It's going to be cold…so if we have one, then…" Chiraikou said, Sengen giving her a smirk as he too, piled up snow.

_"…This may be a bit childish…but…"_ Sengen thought as he looked at Chiraikou's smiling face, and he too, smiled.

_"…She enjoys it a bit…and I wouldn't want to rain on her parade. Besides…why would I?"_ Sengen was still piling up snow, and Chiraikou looked at him.

_"…He might take things a bit seriously…he might be oblivious to some things…but…"_ Chiraikou looked at him as he was piling up snow, a smile on his face.

_"…Meh. What am I going to do about it? Besides…he's a good guy to be with."_ Chiraikou piled up more snow, and an omega symbol was formed on the ground, and the duo nodded, continuing to pile up snow, and now condensing it into a solid wall.

* * *

"Hey, Sonic!" Knuckles said, dropping from a glide, landing in front of Casinopolis.

"What's up Knuckles?" Sonic asked, Knuckles chuckling.

"…Nothing much, just came to play a bit. I was a little bored up there, so…" Sonic shook his head slowly while closing his eyes.

"So you finally took my suggestion…after all this time. Alright!" Sonic said, walking in with the crimson echidna, the group following the duo.

"...Let's see who can hold out longest. Whoever loses, 10 bucks." Sonic said, waiting in front of the slot/pinball machine.

"Fine. You're on!" Knuckles stepped into the machine with him, and Blaze sighed.

"Faker's gone in, huh?" Shadow appeared next to Blaze, who nodded.

"Yeah, what of it?" At that note, Shadow entered the machine as well, and Blaze sighed.

"Thought so. I guess I might as well-"Tails and Rikku then went in, leaving Blaze standing there.

She sighed, entered the machine, and was launched upward by the launcher. "Everyone else in on the bet?" Sonic said as he was being bounced around.

"…Nah, I'll-" Blaze was cut off by Shadow.

"It's on, faker!" He had a determined voice, and Sonic scoffed.

"Alright, bring it on!" Sonic was struck upwards, and the others could merely do what they could've…

* * *

"…There. We're finally shielded from wind…" Chiraikou said, Sengen nodding in agreement.

"Not to mention everything else outside." Sengen remarked; after all, they WERE in a dome.

"…Aren't you cold?" Chiraikou looked at the dragon, who was breathing smoke from his nostrils.

"...Cold blooded. What if I am?" Sengen was suddenly hugged by Chiraikou, and he felt his body getting warm quickly.

"Thanks." Sengen said as he found and pulled out a scale in her fur.

"…Stay away from me for a bit, alright?" Sengen said, Chiraikou's face having a hurt expression.

"…Why?" Chiraikou asked, and she knew the answer; he was moulting.

As he began to molt, small scales were being shed, yellow scales on the floor. After around 15 minutes, one last scale fell off, and he turned to Chiraikou. "…Well, here I am. Just wait a bit." Sengen then gathered his scales, and ate them.

"…That's just gross…" Chiraikou said in disgust, backing away.

"What? It's for calcium…grooming…other nutrients…it helps quite a bit." The dragon walked up to her, and she nodded, but she was still a bit disgusted.

"…I guess you have your reasons…If you want, we could head back to the others." Chiraikou said, and Sengen shook his head.

"Nah…let's stay here a bit longer. Take in the sights…" Sengen said, Chiraikou nodding, but then raised a question.

"…What sights are there to see?" Sengen then turned to her, and pecked her.

"You…that's a beautiful sight as it is." Chiraikou blushed as he embraced her.

_"…He feels so…softer…what am I doing just hugging him? Alright…stay calm…" _Chiraikou thought, kissing him during the embrace, blushing as well.

_"…She's too forward on this…but why am I complaining? I might as just go for it!"_ He returned the kiss, and the duo was making out for quite a while, until Sengen broke the embrace.

"…Alright, it's getting a bit late…let's go." Sengen said, Chiraikou nodding in agreement, they broke the dome and walked out to Station Square.

* * *

"My my, you seems relatively busy." Levitas walked up to Nodoka and Sam, the other minks behind him.

"…More or less…" Sam said lazily as Levitas bent down.

"You've been laying down, the two of you, for the past 2 hours. Have you really that much time on your hands?" Vent said, and Nodoka shrugged.

"Not really…we don't want to fight each other either; it isn't a game, y'know." She said, getting up from Sam's chest, Sam getting up as well.

"…Neither is life. You need all the training you can get." Caligus said, walking up to the duo.

"We know…" The duo said in unison lazily, and Decretus sighed.

"…It is their decision; after all, they have so much time…" As Decretus said that, Caligus suddenly spoke up.

"And to waste it would be horrible." Cailgus said, and Decretus glowed with a white light, as Caligus glowed with a dark aura, their faces intensifying with anger.

"…We'll train again tomorrow…Don't worry about it." Sam reassured, Decretus calming down, his light dissapearing.

"See? He's made his decision." Decretus said, Caligus calming down as well.

"Fine, fine…" Caligus' dark aura disappeared, and Nodoka sighed.

Suddenly, a miniature black hole appeared in front of the duo, and the duo ran from it before the suction pulled them in. It disappeared, and Caligus smirked. "Be wary; you never know when something may attack." Caligus' smirk disappeared, and he walked away, Decretus following him.

Sam and Nodoka simply shrugged, and looked at the sky together. Decretus grabbed Caligus' shoulder, and a white light surrounded him. "Are you trying to kill them?! They are the only ones that can save us, and you are trying to kill them?!" Caligus' head turned to him with a fierce expression.

"…What doesn't kill them will make them stronger." Caligus said, and Decretus slapped him.

"If it does kill them, we're all dead!" Decretus angrily said as Caligus walked away with a nod.

"It gives them more reason to live." Caligus stated simply as he went in his room, along with the rest of the minks.

"…Why do I get the feeling he isn't on our side…" Decretus sighed and went to his room.

* * *

"Alright Shadow…where my ten bucks?" Sonic asked, and a drunk Shadow simply fell to the floor.

"I…I told you faker…I did…didn't bet…for the money…I-I bet for the…for the…meh…forget it…" Shadow lazily got up, only to fall again.

"Wake up!" Knuckles simply kicked the ebony hedgehog into the golden Sonic statue…and to his surprise, it broke, shattering pieces of it everywhere, bystanders running from the scene, and the manager walked up to the echidna.

"…You'll have to pay for-" The group was suddenly gone in a blue blur, and they were in front of Twinkle Park.

"Nice one Knucklehead!" Sonic said, Knuckles crossing his arms.

"I did what I did…" Knuckles said, and Sonic sighed.

"He isn't even awake! In fact, I think that actually caused brain damage than anything else!" Sonic retorted, and Knuckles' face turned crimson with rage as he flung to the hedgehog, although a voice was heard.

"Henshin!" Blaze then had her Gothic French Maid outfit, and black flames surrounded her, an intense heat emerging from it.

"I won't let you!" Blaze said, her eyes narrowing with anger, and Knuckles stepped back.

"Blaze, calm down…I'm fine." Sonic said, her black flames then died down as her Henshin outfit disappeared as well, and her regular clothes were on her.

"…Are you two…" Knuckles pointed at Sonic, then Blaze, and simply laughed.

Rikku simply nodded, and tapped Knuckles on the shoulder. "Yeah, they're going out. What of it?" Rikku said stubbornly as Knuckles continued to laugh.

"What of it? It's hilarious! I mean seriously…this must a joke…" Knuckles was suddenly burn-slapped by Blaze, and he writhed in pain on the ground.

"…We're serious." Blaze said, and Knuckles stopped writhing and got up and cleared his throat.

"…So…you're meaning to tell me you get someone…but I don't? C'mon, even Tails has someone!" Knuckles said embarrassingly, and Rikku was about to slap him, but stopped at Tails' command.

"…We'll talk about this later…let's just go." Sonic said, Blaze nodding in agreement as the duo disappeared in a blur of blue and lilac.

"Hey, wait up!" Tails and Rikku ran after them, leaving Knuckles and Shadow alone.

Knuckles simply shrugged, and flew off; he really didn't have any reason to be with Shadow, of all people…

"Hey, wait up!" Chiraikou and Sengen floated next to Rikku and Tails, respectively.

"How was it?" Rikku asked, and Chiraikou blushed.

"…It went well. We walked…talked…" Chiraikou said, and Rikku smirked.

"You made out?" Rikku asked the startled vixen, who blushed.

"…I'll take that as a yes." Rikku said, smiling and speeding up; Sonic and Blaze were almost out of their sights!

Tails too, sped up, and he began to speak: "…You seem relatively happy." Tails spoke, and Sengen shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much…things happened, we walked, talked…made out in a snow dome…nothing much." Sengen said sarcastically.

With a smile, he entered Tails, and Chiraikou entered Rikku as the duo dashed onward.

"…Hey, isn't that…" Sam stood up, to see Sonic and the others running toward him.

They stopped in front of them, and Sam chuckled. "What's the rush?" Sam asked, and Sonic simply shrugged.

"How'd your date go?" Sonic teased, and Sam looked at Nodoka, who was almost asleep in his arms.

"…It went fine." Sam smirked as he said those words, and he carried Nodoka up to a bed, and gently placed a blanket over her, exempting her head.

"…Ngh…Sam…?" Nodoka asked lazily, and Sam nodded.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, and she hugged him.

"Thanks for tonight." Sam blushed, and he nodded.

"…No problem at all." Sam said, and the regimental hedgehog fell back asleep.

"…Good night." Sam said, pecking her forehead as he pulled the blanket up a little more.

"…You care about her a lot, don't you?" Decretus asked, appearing in a flash of white light, and Sam nodded.

"That's practically been established." Sonic said, and the others nodded.

"Well…I'm hitting the hay. Good night." Sam then entered another room, and plopped down on a bed, and closed his eyes…

"Same here; I'm getting tired." Sonic and Tails said in unison, entering the same room; there were 3 beds per room.

"Good night." Decretus disappeared in a flash of light, and the girls slept as well…

* * *

Well…here's another before the weekend ends. Thankfully, I had parent teacher conferences, so a bit more time to write...kind of. Hope you enjoyed, I enjoyed typing this as much as you reading, R&R, I'll see you next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	19. Changes

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Changes

"…Get up…Sam…get up…hey…get up…did I forget to say to GET UP!!!" Nodoka yelled into the hedgehog's ear, and the hedgehog awoke to see a face he would recognize anywhere: the face of Nodoka, smiling as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hey…no need to yell…" Sam said chuckling as he got up and did his bed, the regimental hedgehog staring at him as he did so.

"…Good morning to you as well…what time is it?" Sam asked, Nodoka sighing with disbelief on her face as she facepalmed.

"Good morning my foot! It's 12:30!" Sam checked his watch to find it was indeed 12:30, and he looked on lazily, the second hand moving by, Nodoka sighing as she watched him.

"…You need to sleep earlier…last night was good though, wasn't it?" Sam chuckled, recalling the events last night as they passed by through his head, Nodoka realizing how she phrased it, blushed as Sam chuckled at the good times.

"No, not like that, I mean…agh…" Nodoka stammered and blushed as the ebony hedgehog chuckled, now at the phrasing of her words.

"Don't worry…I get your point. It's not like we actually…" Sam blushed as well, the regimental hedgehog calming down, she patted him on the shoulder.

"…C'mon. We need something to eat…anything in mind?" Nodoka asked, Sam's mind suddenly filling with sweets, he smirked.

"…I've got some things in mind…how about Spagettieis, along with Candy Corn, Jelly Beans, and after that, we might as well hit the Rocky Road." Nodoka chuckled at the remark, and was visibly holding in laughter.

"But seriously, we need something to eat…not desserts or confectionaries." Nodoka said, still holding in chuckles as Sam smirked.

"I know…but still, I'm CRAVING for something sweet…I haven't had candy in a WHILE." Sam said, and Nodoka chuckled.

"I'd figure as much…we'll go to someplace after we're done. I've got some cash on me now…a load of it. You've got Sonic's wild crowds to thanks for that." Nodoka slyly took out a $100 bill, and multiple $50 bills.

"…They're so excited, they don't seem to care, not to mention notice if a bill or two slips out of their pockets." Nodoka placed the bills in her gloves, Sam's face in disbelief as he spoke.

"That isn't right though! I mean, sure you gain money and food…and some other things, but still…pickpocketing isn't the righteous thing to do!" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…Alright, I lied about the pickpocketing, jeez…I got the money from Mom before we left. She gave me extra money to what I had." Nodoka said as Sam let out a sigh of relief; his girlfriend wasn't a pickpocket.

"You idea does sound good…in actuality. Spaghetti along with corn and beans; a GREAT combo…" Nodoka said sarcastically as Sam sighed.

"…How about that-"He was cut off by Nodoka shaking her head slowly, two fingers on her forehead.

"…We aren't going to rely on the same restaurant over and over; I'll be broke if we do, not to mention my mom." Sam nodded agreeably, and getting out of the room, he leaped down to the ground where the others awaited.

"Well, that took you a long-"A loud, ear piercing 'SONIKKU!!!' was heard, and Sonic sighed.

"What is it now, Am-Whoa." Sonic turned to find Amy holding hands with an obviously reluctant Shadow, who was being dragged there.

"…I was drunk, I did some crazy things while drunk, and she calmed me down…yeah. Hate to say this Sonic, but HEL-"Shadow was cut off by Sonic's laughter, and even Tails dared to snicker at the 'Ultimate Lifeform'.

"…Don't worry, I'm with him now!" Amy said cheerfully as Sonic then burst into tears of laughter and partial joy as the ebony hedgehog slammed his head onto the grassy ground below him.

Sonic was dying of laughter on the floor, his face turning bluer than he was, and Tails joined him on the floor, pounding the ground, Blaze simply snickered, Rikku was almost at Tails' state, and Nodoka was fine, as was Sam, as the duo observed the symphony of laughter and humiliation of the ebony and crimson hedgehog. He stood up, glowing a red color, and Sam's eyes widened; whatever that was, it couldn't be good… "Chaos…BLAS-"

"Order!" Sam said, a white fist hitting the forehead of the hedgehog, and Shadow fell to the ground, Sam sighing in relief.

"…I barely know who you are, or what you just did…but thanks." Shadow said, and Sam did a thumbs up at the hedgehog, who was regaining his composure.

He then kicked Sonic where the sun didn't shine, and walked away, calm as ever. "…Oww…What was that for, faker?!" Sonic asked angrily as he stood up clumsily.

"…You should know." Shadow stated angrily as Rikku and Tails saw his expression and stopped laughing and cleared their throats.

"So…you're serious about this, Amy?" Sonic asked, and all she could do was nod.

"…Yeah. He might not be you, but he sure looks like you. Neglect to mention he's a lot less more of a-"She was cut off by Shadow's Chaos Control, and the duo disappeared in a flash of green light.

"…Well…that was interesting…So, who's up for pasta?" Sam asked, and the group nodded, running off to Station Square.

"…He knows how to use Order…good. And so soon…he really holds the legacy of the Chosen." Decretus smirked as he watched them leave, and walked out to face Sam's father, who appeared from a puddle of Darkness below.

"…Ah…how is everything? Everyone holding up?" Decretus nodded, keeping a straight face, and he cleared his throat.

"Everything's fine…He's already figured out the Chosen elements." Sam's father nodded with approval, and he smirked.

"What of the others?" Decretus nodded once more, and spoke.

"Everyone else is fine…I neglected to mention that your son's done an Artificial Contract, along with the rest of the group." His father smirked once more, and he nodded once again.

"…Interesting…he's shown affection for this girl…Nodoka, is it?" Decretus nodded as Sam's father began to process all this new information.

"…More than just so…he doesn't want to fight her, nor her to him in fear that they may harm each other." Decretus said, and Sam's father laughed.

"Well…this is new…I haven't seen you laugh like that in a while." Decretus looked at him, and he stopped laughing.

"…He's turning out to be a great person…you remember The First, right? Never willing to hurt his loved one…and look how powerful he became through all that." Sam's father had a hopeful expression on his face, Decretus sighing.

"…And look at what he became…" Decretus said forlornly with a grim expression, but Sam's father scoffed.

"This is a serious matter!" Decretus said, and the father calmed down, a grin on his face.

"…If you think my son will turn out like that…you're mistaken…highly and unmistakably mistaken. The amount of darkness is incredibly small within him…I doubt highly that such an event shall occur." Sam father then stretched, and cracked his neck.

"…Well, I must be going…" Sam's father summoned a puddle of darkness, and Decretus stopped him, if only for a second.

"…How is your mission going?" Decretus asked, and he chuckled.

"It's going well. It's all going to my projections…Chao!" He then sank into the puddle of darkness, which closed once he was submerged, and Decretus sighed.

"…What is this mission of yours…After all this time we've known each other…you've never actually told me your 'secret mission'…I wonder what it is…" Decretus sighed, and walked back to his room.

* * *

"…Well, I'm pretty full." Sam said, and as Nodoka paid for the check, the group left the restaurant.

"…Anyone have a sweet tooth lately?" As Nodoka said those words, Sam and Rikku nodded quickly, Nodoka nodding as well.

"I know of a place…it's like one of those old 'weight measure' type of candy stores. The price might a bit expensive, around $11 for a pound…but I'll take you there, if you want." The duo of Rikku and Sam immediately nodded, although Sam felt a pang of guilt as he did so.

_"…I feel a bit selfish, just nearly DEMANDING like that…I suppose I could-"_Sam's train of thought was cut off by Nodoka walking off, the rest of the group following as Sam stood there, lost in his thoughts.

"C'mon!" Nodoka said impatiently, and Sam nodded, following and catching up with the rest of the group to stop in front of a moderately large store, its name on a large, colorful banner: The Sugar Bar.

The group entered to find an astounding amount of candies, chocolates, and other sweets in front of their very eyes, and Sam's jaw dropped. "…This is massive!" Sam's eyes widened in amazement, and suddenly, a voice was heard.

"Like kids in a candy shop…oh wait…you are kids in a candy shop! Welcome to The Sugar Bar!" A white weasel walked to the group, and was pondering about something as he looked at Nodoka.

"Hey… aren't you…Nodoka! I haven't seen you a long time! How is everyone? Is Scarlet alright?" Nodoka nodded, and looked at the now excited weasel.

"Everyone's doing alright! Scarlet's fine and I've got some friends!" Nodoka said, gesturing to the group, and the weasel laughed heartily.

"Good to hear! I'm Ragus, and if the rock candy I make isn't the sweetest in the world, then your get your money back!" The weasel chuckled as the group watched on, and Sam nodded slowly.

"…Right. How much is a pound?" Sam asked, and Ragus turned to the hedgehog.

"That, young lad, would be $10. Quarter pound is $2.50, and so on. You can do the math." Ragus said, looking at the group with narrow eyes, Sam raised an eyebrow; he felt VERY uncomfortable right then.

"…You two, you two, and you two are going out, am I right?" Ragus pointed to Sam and Nodoka, then Sonic and Blaze, and finally Tails and Rikku as the couples all nodded, Sam surprised.

"…How'd you know?" Sam asked, and as Ragus laughed again, Nodoka explained.

"…He's got a knack of telling couples." Nodoka said, and Ragus looked at Sam.

"You've chosen a fine young lady here. Just don't mess with her; she'll slice you to ribbons!" Ragus laughed again, Sam's face turning pale for a second.

"He can hold his own against me in combat. He's pretty good." Nodoka said, and Ragus nodded.

"Heck, three couples are here…and my business is basically done for…" Ragus' head lowering in sadness, and Nodoka sighed.

"That's the reason for the price raise?" Nodoka asked, Ragus solemnly nodding.

"Yes. Ever since you were…possessed by that aura, a lot of daily shoppers stopped coming…you know that you're a medium-high class in these parts, and when you left, so did my customers." Sam's eyes widened, and he turned to Nodoka, who simply nodded.

"You're medium-high class?" Sam asked, and she once again nodded.

"Yeah, my family has a bit of power…How long have you not had customers, Ragus?" Nodoka turned to the sulking weasel, and he sighed.

"...It's been around 4 months, hasn't it?" Ragus said, and Nodoka gasped.

"FOUR MONTHS and your business is almost dead?! That's insane!" Nodoka said, and suddenly, a group of people were near the store, walking to it.

"…Are those…customers?!" Ragus said in disbelief, and the weasel hugged Nodoka.

"I knew it! I knew if you came back, they would! I just knew it!" He jumped for joy, and the crowd entered the room to see Nodoka.

"…Aren't you Nodoka? Is it truly you?" A person asked, and she nodded slowly.

"…Yes, it's me. What of it?" Nodoka said, and as the crowd and their excitement began to grow, she backed away slowly.

A flash of a camera was heard and seen, and she sighed. "Look, we're just here to get some candy from the store." Suddenly, people rushed to get candy, and walked up to Ragus with heavy bags, money in hand as well.

Nodoka sighed as the people left satisfied, and looked at Ragus with a smile. "Well, your sales suddenly went up again." Tails spoke, and Ragus nodded.

"…Neglect to mention, I'm fresh out of things…I'll have to restock…oh?" Ragus' face brightened, and he gave the group some rock candy, hidden in a bag.

"I was experimenting with a new batch of rock candy, and this is my latest creation. Take it; it'll be a week before I can restock." Ragus smiling, Nodoka took it and smiled back.

"Thanks." Rikku said, and he nodded.

"No problem! I'll see you when I do, alright?" Ragus said, and the group walked out of the door, and ran back to the treehouses.

"…So, how was lunch?" Decretus asked, Sonic nodding.

"It went well. Talked, ate, went inside a candy store, got a crowd to buy all the candy, we left. Nothing much." Decretus looked at the blue hedgehog oddly, who simply shrugged and shook his head slowly.

"May as well taste this so called 'latest creation'…" Sam took a small, gold colored piece out of the bag, and put it in her mouth.

…The next thing every normal person would expect is just a delight on his face. However…this 'latest creation'…wasn't exactly what a man would call 'normal'. Or healthy. Or possibly bad, either. The next thing Sam did was simply howl. "WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sam howled out onto the sky, the group and Decretus closing their ears.

Sam simply then stood still, trembling immensely as his heartbeat was heard going insanely fast, his eyes turning bloodshot. "…Sam? Are you-"Nodoka suddenly found herself kissing the hedgehog as he laughed maniacally afterward.

"…Aww yeah…I feel good!" Sam said, his voice trembling as well, and his heartbeat echoed, Nodoka stepping back in fear.

"Let's go, Chiharu!" Chiharu was found to be completely normal, and he sighed.

"…Something happened?" The others nodded, and Chiharu sighed.

"Hey, Sam?" Chiharu asked, calm as ever, and the hyper hedgehog turned to him, an insane look on his face as he hopped up and down.

"Yeah, yeah, what is it?" Chiharu then knocked him out with a punch to the head, white energy glowing from his fist.

"…If he wakes up STILL like that, call me…I'll be with Juuchi; who knows what he might do with me." Chiharu entered Nodoka, and Tails simply prodded Sam.

"That rock candy is NOT normal." Tails said, Rikku looking at Sam's unconscious body.

"Ditto. Whatever Chiharu did, I'm glad he did." Rikku said, and Blaze sighed.

"…What's in this rock candy? It's gold…and I'm NOT going to eat that to find out." Blaze said, Sonic shaking his head.

"Neither am I." Nodoka added, but Sonic simply placed a piece in his mouth…and to everyone's surprise, nothing happened.

"…What?" The group just stared at him as nothing happened to the hedgehog, Sam now awakening with a lump on his forehead.

"…Agh…what happened…I feel like I had a seizure…" Sam rubbed his head in pain, and getting up slowly to meet the rest of the group.

"You pretty much went crazy until Chiharu knocked you out." Sonic said, and at that note, Chiharu came out of Nodoka, along with Juuchi.

"And boy, am I glad I did; you were pretty…dang." Chiharu said, Juuchi nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean, c'mon…ONE SMALL piece of rock candy, and look at that." Juuchi said, backing away a bit.

"…Well, whatever happened…that stuff is dangerous material." Blaze pointed out, and taking the bag, she closed it, and placed it in Sonic's hands.

"Wonder why it didn't affect me…" He placed another piece in his mouth, and began to hop in place.

"I think it's starting to…" Rikku said as Sonic kept hopping in place with a grin on his face.

"…I suggest you don't take another one of those. Seriously, he meant it when he said 'if the rock candy I make isn't the sweetest in the world, then your get your money back!' Seriously, three pieces is enough to raise their blood pressure by a load, if not worse…Take one if you want…or if you've got really low blood pressure." Nodoka said jokingly, as Sonic bit into the golden piece of crystal in his mouth.

"…Are you alright?" Nodoka placed her hand on Sam's shoulder, who simply looked at her.

"…I'm fine. A bit out of breath, throat's a bit sore, and my stomach feels a bit…" He clenched his stomach in pain; a stomachache had arisen.

"…Aching, but aside that, I'm fine, really…" Sam thumbed up at the worried regimental hedgehog who was merely looking at him with concern as she patted him lightly on the back.

"…No you aren't…" Nodoka said unconvincingly as Sam regained his composure.

"Yes I-"He was cut off by a slap to the back, sending him to the floor.

"…No, you aren't." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"No, I'm not." Sam said painfully as Nodoka led him up to a bed.

"…Order." Sam whispered, and he glowed a white aura, and he felt better after it dissipated.

"Look, I feel fine." Sam said, and Nodoka sighed, the look of concern mixed with love in her eyes.

"How do I know that?" Nodoka asked, Sam then planting a kiss on her lips simply winked, and was about to leave the room, but Nodoka simply held him by the shoulder, blushing as she did so.

"…Don't go…" Nodoka said, and the duo was lost in their eyes as the blazing light of the sun shone on them as the duo then embraced, lost now in their burning passion for each other.

"So…Blaze?" Blaze then snuggled on Sonic's chest, a small bag of catnip in her hand.

"Oh boy…" Sonic said sarcastically as she purred, embracing him tightly.

Tails chuckled at the sight, and Rikku cleared her throat as she leaned toward him. Tails simply embraced her slowly, letting the warmth of presence comfort him, and then kissed her, blushing as he did so. Rikku returned the favor with a peck on the cheek, and the duo chuckled.

* * *

Well…here's another one. I enjoyed typing this one, merely due to all the possible descriptions I could think to put in here…so it was a fun challenge, and with that being said, that's also the partial reason for the width…also because no ideas were popping up, and then I simply stated to free associate, and the story…kind of dragged on. If the ending was uneventful, sincere apologies; ideas ran out. Again. Hope you enjoyed, I enjoyed typing as much as you reading, R&R, I'll see you next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	20. Signal

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Signal

"Sam, you okay?" Nodoka said, dodging a black fireball from Blaze as she ran toward her.

"Yeah…just a bit of a back problem is all." He glanced at Nodoka for only a second before dodging a blue and gold ball: Sonic in his Henshin outfit.

"C'mon… step it up!" Sonic said, running toward Sam, a punch just barely missing, and he simply sweep kicked, Sonic falling to the ground.

As he got up, Sam pointed Chiharu to Sonic, a foot now on his back. Blaze kicked Sam with her flaming heels, and he was sent to the ground, Nodoka rushing to his aid. "Is that the best you've got?" Blaze taunted, and Sam sighed.

"…No…not yet!" Sam said, a bit of blood coming out of his mouth as he rushed forward, Blaze placing a black wall of fire between the two, stopping the hedgehog in his tracks.

Sam simply closed his eyes, and acted like he was placing Chiharu in a sheath, focusing on the unseen duo as well. Suddenly, the wall of fire dissipated, and Sam rushed forward, Sonic doing a spin-dash at Sam, Chiharu connecting with Sonic's spin-dash, the two of them recoiled backward. Nodoka simply sighed, and uttered: "…Recoru…Juuchi Yosamu!" Time froze momentarily as she swiftly struck Blaze with a sweep kick, two spinning aerial kicks, and then an axe kick as she was frozen in place.

After the freeze was over, she was suddenly sent into the air, backward, and onto the ground once more. Nodoka simply rushed in front of her, only before she surrounded herself with fire, and disappeared from sight. "Where did she-"

"Over here!" Blaze kicked Nodoka in the back with a flaming heel, and she was sent to the ground.

"Aw…that's gonna leave a mark." Nodoka said, as it literally DID leave a mark on her back, some fur burned off as well.

"Impressive…" Sam placed Chiharu, and technically his hand in the 'sheath' as well.

"Thanks." Sonic said, holding a cut from earlier, grasping onto his leg.

"…But not good enough!" Sam said, leaping forward to Sonic as he spin-dashed away.

Suddenly, Blaze leaped in front of the speeding hedgehog, and slapped him with a fiery palm to the face. "Oww…" Sam rubbed his face, only to find it glowing red, and it began to glow white.

"Oh what the f-OOWWWW!" Sam's face then appeared to have a large, fiery palm imprint blow up on his face…and boy did it hurt.

"…Alright…I gotta admit. That's pretty funny…I'm on the receiving end…and it's pretty painful." Sam said, an overly large, red palm imprint on his head.

Nodoka chuckled, and Sam sighed. "Neglect to mention, it's painful to talk…end up slapping the enemy like the everywhere, not to mention harder and with more boom to it…it'll be quite an explosive ending for them." Sam said jokingly, shaking his head.

Suddenly, a slap from Blaze was connected to Sam's head, and she sighed. "No puns…especially a bad one." Blaze said as Sam merely did a thumbs up, wincing in pain; his face was already burnt and slapped, and another one didn't help.

"I'm okay…kind of." Sam said, blood coming out of injuries on his legs, back, and torso.

"You don't look like it." Nodoka said, concerned for the hedgehog's health, she went to his side.

"…Just get a room…" Sonic stated jokingly, and a blushing Nodoka slapped him.

"Not like you and Blaze AREN'T going out, am I right? Who know what you two do…" Sam said, Blaze slapping him.

"Well we don't know what you do!" Blaze retorted, Sam backing away.

"Touché." Sam coughed a bit, and covering his wounds with only his gloved hands, Nodoka could merely pat his back as he coughed.

"C'mon…I'm getting you to some-"Nodoka was cut off by the sound of what seemed to be a helicopter rotor: but it was merely Tails, flying to the group.

"…We've finished it." Tails said, holding a small remote, and he gestured for the four to follow.

Inside a room of one of the extensive treehouses, there was a large monitor built in. "…Well, after placing the seven Sol and Chaos Emeralds in here…" Tails placed the respective emeralds in slots, and suddenly the screen turned into mere static.

"…Waiting to be impressed…" Blaze said, as the screen was slowly losing the static, and suddenly a voice was heard.

"Oy! Let me at the thing! Oi wanna have a go at the transmit thingy!" A accent was heard, and a raccoon came into picture, grabbing a remote from a koala dressed in light blue imperial clothing.

"…Oy, Blaze! It's been a long toime since ya left! Where are ya?!" The raccoon was getting impatient, Blaze sighing.

The koala took the remote back, and shook his head. "Greatest apologies, Your Highness!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that!?" Blaze said, and the koala nodded.

"My apologies, Princess Blaze…It seems you're in a different dimension again." The koala was visibly nervous, and Blaze nodded.

"Yes, it is so. I have company, no need to worry. The vehicle I attempted to use, a dimensional transporter, does not appear to functioning properly. I will contact you through here for the time I am away from my dimension…How is this being transmitted?" Blaze asked, and Marine laughed.

"Ya mean ya don't know, Blaze? This is on the T.V., and everyone's watching this!" The raccoon said pointing to a nearby T.V., and Blaze turned to Tails with a threatening look.

"…You never asked…so I figured…I couldn't find one access point, so…" Tails stuttered, and Blaze sighed, trying to regain her composure.

"…Fine. At least we've gotten somewhere…" Blaze said, and the raccoon was eagerly smiling.

"Oy, it's Sonic and Tails back there! How's it goin'?" The duo sighed, and looked at her.

"We're fine, Marine. The SS Tornado EX won't work, so hang tight; she might return a while later…" Tails said, and Marine nodded, her finger prodding the screen.

"…Hate to ask, but how can we only hear…Marine, was it?" Marine nodded at Sam, and she spoke.

"That's Captain Marine to you! I raced across the seas for these people, gatherin' everythin', and I sent them home!" Tails chuckled, and then sighed.

"…Right…How can we only hear her, and that other koala?" Sam asked, and Tails looked at him.

"…I managed to get only her T.V. on the speakers. Sadly, I can't simply access that one T.V…" Tails said, and suddenly, Blaze thought of something, her face enlightening.

"Doesn't Southern Island have a radio tower?" Blaze asked, and Tails' eyes widened.

"…Yes. I'll reconnect it to there next time." Tails said, and Marine was curiously poking the screen.

"Oy, who are those two mates over there?" Marine said, poking at Sam and Nodoka, and Tails sighed.

"…Sam, and Nodoka." Tails said, Sam waving his hand, and Nodoka nodding.

"...For the record…the accent's kind of…well…" Sam said, and Marine was now irritated.

"Oy, don't blame me if I can't control me accent!" Marine said, Sam shaking his head, he backed away.

"Sorry; the accent's just…"

"Well excuse me, Mr…Mr…Two Fur Color! Hah!" Marine retorted, and Sam sighed.

"…Not something I can help either. Touché." Sam said, and Marine shook her head.

"Don't cha mean 'tush'?" Marine inquired, and Sam face palmed.

"…Never mind." Sam said, Nodoka chuckling.

"You dun talk much, don't ya?" Marine said, referring to Nodoka.

"It doesn't really matter if I talk little if there really isn't much to say, y'know." Nodoka said, and Sam nodded.

"Touché." Sam said, and Marine was irritated.

"It's 'tush', ya drongo!" Sam was perplexed.

"…What's a 'drongo'?" Sam asked, and knowing that there really was no point in asking, he simply sighed.

"Whatever." Sam's fur turned red, and Marine was jumping for joy as she saw the sight.

"Ooh! Do the thing again, mate! It looks ripper!" Sam's fur turned back to normal as he healed slightly from the injuries from the battle before, and as he did so, Marine's face turned into one of disappointment.

"Aww…you're Two Color again…" Marine said, and Sam sighed.

"Two color or not, you're still the same you that I fell for…" Nodoka said lost in the hedgehog's eyes, and Marine's eyes widened.

"Oy, this ain't a movie a somethin'!" Marine said, and Sonic sighed.

"…This is what you would call adolescence, Marine. You'll be a teen soon enough…" Blaze said, and Marine also pointed to Rikku.

"…And who are you? Tails' gal or somethin'?" Marine said, and Rikku blushed.

"Rikku. Rikku Fox, thank you very much…and what of it?" Rikku asked, and Marine shrugged, a visible 'I'm shocked, but I really couldn't care much' face on.

"Ya just seem ta fit the bladdy part!" Marine said, slightly irritated for some unknown reason.

"Alright then. I'm just going to cut this off now; this was only a test run, and it seems to be working fine." Rikku said, and Tails nodded before waving to Marine and the koala.

"Wait, Your Highness! There are papers to be filled out, and-"

Blaze was getting irritated: being referred to as 'Your Highness' was getting annoying. "Don't call me 'Your Highness', Gardon…" Blaze said irritably, and Gardon nodded.

"Well, we're signing off. We'll see you later!" Tails said, waving to the struggling raccoon and koala, desperately fighting over the remote, and as Marine waved goodbye, Gardon seized the remote happily, and with that, the screen turned black.

Sam was busy snogging Nodoka, Tails witnessing the duo, he simply did a high pitched whistling sound, and the startled duo looked at a smirking Tails. "You can go and do what you do; we'll be here trying to pinpoint the radio tower's location. After all, we don't want 'Your Highness' to be seen all around her dimension, simply sitting while I explain everything." Tails said jokingly, Blaze nodded, slightly aggravated.

"…Don't call me 'Your Highness': it's really annoying…" Blaze commanded dully, walking out of the room, Sonic following.

Sam simply sighed, and Nodoka still lost in the hedgehog's eyes, snapped back to reality when Sam simply patted her head as he sighed. "…Well…now that you've made this machine…what of it when…if Blaze gets back to her dimension?" Sam asked, Tails sighing.

"As much as I don't want that possibility to become reality, it's possible…and could very well happen. But if she does, we can use it to talk with Blaze and the others in the other dimension. We can also use the SS Tornado EX to travel from one dimension to another." Tails said, Sam nodding as he took Nodoka by the hand out of the room; he wanted the duo to be alone.

"…So…Rikku?" Tails looked at the vixen, who was working on the tracking the radio tower's signal a dimension away.

"Yeah? What is it?" Rikku looked at a nervous Tails, who was simply twiddling with his fingers and looking down on the floor.

"…Well?" Rikku said, and as Tails was opening his mouth, he closed it in his nervousness.

_"Crud…how did I manage to do this last time…"_ Tails thought in nervousness, and Rikku walked up to him slowly.

"…If you're planning to ask me out again, at least sum up the courage to do so…" Rikku placed her hand on his shoulder, and he blushed harder as she did so, at a loss for words.

"Y'know she's right…" Sam walked into the room, a smug grin on his face as Tails and Rikku looked at him.

"That aside, you two are already known as a couple; no need to ask, right?" Nodoka said, Tails simply swallowing his nervousness.

"There's really not much to it…anyhow, Nodoka's right. C'mon…you can't rely on Sengen forever." Sam walked up to Tails, and gently pushed him toward Rikku.

"…Yeah, I guess we could hang out sometime." Rikku looked away from the vulpine, and then turned her head to face him with a grin.

"_What would we do without you…"_ Rikku thought, as she simply patted the vulpine on the head, and resumed working.

"Like you two aren't already…Let's go, Nodoka." Sam walked away, but not before Rikku slapped him as he chuckled.

"Alright…to where exactly do you propose?" Nodoka inquired as Sam thought, his middle and index fingers on his forehead.

…_Think….where can I go where we'll be at peace, and slightly romantic at the same time…do I have any __ideas__ or have __I already been there__…Where…" _His mind raced as he kept walking, and suddenly, he thought of somewhere.

He then pointed his finger at Nodoka, and shouted: "TAKE THAT!"

Nodoka simply flicked him on the forehead, sighing as she simply shook her head, and she shrugged. "Now now…no need to shout. Now tell me, Sam: Where do you have in mind?" Nodoka said, sitting down on a chair, a long dining table in front of her.

"Oh, I've got just the place…" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"Well, spit it out!" Nodoka said, and suddenly, a banging of the dining table was heard.

"OBJECTION!" Sam said, pointing his finger at Nodoka, who sighed in disbelief.

"…This isn't a courtroom, y'know." Nodoka said, looking at the ebony and green hedgehog, whose eyes had become fierce.

"The defense would like to refrain from yelling…" Decretus said, walking in the room, and with that, Sam spoke.

"Your Honor, I have the right to remain silent of where I'd like to go! This clearly violates my privacy by asking to do so!" Sam said, and Nodoka sighed.

"…_This is ridiculous…but I'll play along." _Nodoka's eyes had become fierce as well, and she shouted.

"OBJECTION! The prosecution would like to request that the defense tell the prosecution of at least the general location…and furthermore, you aren't the one on the witness stand, so therefore…" Nodoka slammed her hand on the table, and suddenly, darkness rose from the ground as she pointed her finger at Sam.

"You cannot have the right to be silent!" Sam felt like he was punched in the face, and reacted like so, but he was trying to stay calm.

"The prosecution makes a good point…so, Defense? Testify about the general location of the area!" Decretus said as Sam stood, only to point a finger at Nodoka, and flames suddenly erupted from his body as he shouted:

"OBJECTION! Your Honor, I am now a witness…so therefore…" Sam's flames died down, and he shouted once more.

"I now have the ability to plead silence, and therefore cannot testify!" Sam shouted, and Nodoka shook her head.

"OBJECTION! The defense attorney cannot also be the witness, so therefore…"

"OBJECTION! That only proves my point, doesn't it, Prosecutor?" Nodoka then merely shook her head with her hands on it, panicing.

"No…" Nodoka said in despair, and Decretus banged his fist on the table.

"Enough! I see no further point in prolonging this trial any further. I hereby claim the defendant, Sam…" He then banged his fist on the table once more, and spoke.

"This Mock Trial is adjourned!" And with that, Decretus left in a flash of white light.

"Fine, fine…Let's go." Nodoka said, and with Sam's nodding, the duo leaped off the treehouse onto the ground, and then sped off, Sam leading the way.

* * *

"…Hey, Blaze…are you alright?" Sonic laid down on a bed, Blaze sitting beside him, nodding unconvincingly.

"…I'm fine." Blaze said, and Sonic sighed.

"Really…you don't look like it…" Sonic said, Blaze walking away from him.

"Really, Sonic, I'm fine." Blaze said, Sonic walking toward her.

"No, you aren't. I can feel it…" Sonic argued as Blaze continued to walk away from him, quicker and quicker with each breath as she felt her heart pound.

"Exactly…you can't fool my eyes; if you really are fine, then why do you insist on walking away?!" Sonic said, and at that note, Blaze stopped, and merely turned to Sonic with a razor expression, flames erupting from her body.

"…Look, I might be princess of that dimension…but I might not be for long! If I don't return, I'll eventually be dethroned…and-"

"Don't worry about it…you'll be f-"

"How do you know? How, Sonic? Who knows, maybe every single person in that universe hates me, and wants to get rid of me! For all I know, they could be dethroning me now! For all I even know, they could-"

"Be trying to help you, Blaze!" Sonic hastily walked up to her, and embraced her tightly, feeling awkward as well…he didn't exactly know what he was doing, nor did he know if this was going too quickly…but he knew that this would make her feel better.

"…You don't know what's going on there either…but neither do I. We'll see this through to the end…whether it's good or bad." As Sonic reassured her, she simply nodded and looked at Sonic, burn marks everywhere on him.

"…You hurt yourself…" Blaze said, and Sonic nodded.

"I do it a lot of times…don't worry…" Sonic said jokingly as Blaze examined the burns closely, an occasional gasp of surprise popping up, but not another word said throughout.

She looked the burned cobalt hedgehog in the eyes, feeling as though she could drown in his emerald orbs, but looked away shyly. Sonic then did what no one would expect: the cobalt hedgehog fainted. Blaze rushed to his aid, and took the unconscious body to Insendius, who looked at the body curiously. "…You did this…?" Blaze forlornly nodded, and Insendius chuckled.

"It's going to be alright…nothing severe; you just burned him…in a lot of places…a bit overdone on some places, but that aside, rest and ice is what he'll need." Blaze nodded, and Insendius left, leaving the concerned feline alone…

* * *

Well…another one's here. This one…to me feels a bit rushed, but I had a bit of fun writing it. To recap, Sonic's knocked out, Blaze is getting a bit emotional about it, Sam and Nodoka are going out, and the foxes are working on pinpointing the signal…or are they? Hope you enjoyed reading as I did typing, R&R, I'll see you next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	21. A Candle’s Darkness

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

A Candle's Darkness

"Welcome to the Station Square Diner!" A human male escorted them to a table, and the duo of Sam and Nodoka sat down.

"Here's your menus. Choose what you want, and I'll be back later." The male left as the duo looked through the menu convincingly, and Nodoka looked at Sam.

"Did you just choose any random place? This place isn't that good, y'know." Nodoka stared at Sam, who simply was hearing a soft piano in the back.

The ebony hedgehog sighed, and looked at Nodoka, his facial expression becoming slightly irritated. "…Alright, that's enough. I can't take this anymore." Sam walked up to the pianist, and tapped his shoulder.

The pianist turned around, and was punched in the head by the irritated hedgehog, effectively dazing him. "What are you doing, idiot?! You can't just punch people in the head!" Sam walked up to Nodoka, and simply sighed.

"…For one, he was staring at you, and two, his piano playing stinks!" Nodoka got up to the pianist, who had recovered from the hit, and then punched him in the face, effectively knocking him out.

"And that's what you get for staring at me, pervert!" Nodoka then walked back to her seat as people began to stare at the couple.

"…And people are staring…" The waiter came back to the duo, slightly afraid of them.

"You aren't going to punch me, now are you?" The waiter said jokingly as Sam and Nodoka just had a serious face on, and the waiter cleared his throat.

"Alright…have you decided on what you wanted to order?" Sam scrolled through the list as the waiter waited impatiently, until he finally nodded.

"I'll get the Triple Shrimp deal, with a glass of Arnold Palmer." Sam said, the waiter simply nodding, and writing on a small notepad.

"I'll get the Chicken Alfredo, along with a Boston Cooler." Nodoka said as the waiter nodded, writing on his notepad once more.

"I'll be back…talk among yourselves, mingle, and do as you'd like…" The waiter walked away, and people staring at the duo, Sam walked up to the piano.

"Well…this seems a bit quiet…" Sam said, and noticing there was a stage near the piano, he walked up on the stage.

"Hello, Station Square, this is Sam, how are you all doing?" The people simply continued to eat, and one said: "I'm doing fine."

Nodoka simply face palmed as Sam continued the comedic routine, and was about to go up, but decided not to; she wanted to see how this would turn out. "…My my…this isn't an energetic crowd…let's step it up!" He then began to breakdance, people then starting to look up at the stage.

The 'audience' clapped, and he bowed as Nodoka watched on in disbelief. "Thanks. Y'know…it's not really the same when you're single, or when you've got a relationship going on. There are pros and cons…but I've found nothing but pros in mine. Speaking of girlfriends, my girl's sitting over there, c'mon up, Nodoka!" Sam gestured for the regimental hedgehog to rise and walk to him, and she reluctantly did so as the 'audience' clapped.

"…Let's show them what we can do." Sam said, and summoning Chiharu, he got into a fighting stance.

"Right. Juuchi Yosamu!" Nodoka summoned Juuchi, and Sam rushed up to Nodoka, slicing vertically as she gracefully back flipped backward and landed on her feet.

Chiharu and Juuchi Yosamu's sword forms clashed together in a struggle, and Nodoka sweeped Sam off his feet, only for Sam to roll forward, and he pointed Chiharu at her face, Chiharu just barely touching her neck. Nodoka saw a nearby pie cart coming by, so she took a pie, and simply slammed it onto his face. "…Well…this is pretty overused." Sam said as she chuckled, the 'audience' merely responding with a bit of laughter.

Pie on his face, he took a large piece of pie, and threw at Nodoka, who simply caught it and ate it. "Blueberry…not bad." Nodoka said jokingly as Sam dematerialized Chiharu, Nodoka doing the same with Juuchi, the audience clapping in satisfaction and throwing money onto the stage, which Sam picked up as the duo walked back to their seats.

The waiter came with their respective meals, and the duo thanked the waiter as they began to eat…

* * *

"Location's been pinpointed, and I've set it to the tower." Rikku said as Tails stopped pacing and looked at Rikku.

"Alright, let's bring the two of them in. Sonic, Blaze! We've set it up!" Only Blaze entered that room with only a mere expression of sadness and guilt on her face as the foxes watched on.

"…Did something happen? Where's Sonic?" Tails asked, and Blaze looked at the duo.

"…Something happened. He'll be fine, and-"The vulpine then proceeded to dash out of the room in search of his friend, and Blaze sighed.

"You know how to work the thing?" Rikku nodded, and the T.V. screen turned to static, and Marine's voice was heard.

"Oy, it's Blaze again." Marine said, her face basically covering the screen, Blaze jumped slightly in surprise.

"No need to be so close to the screen…how is everyone?" Blaze asked, and Marine nodded.

"I'm foine. How are things on your end of the stick?" Marine said, and suddenly, an orange blur rushed into the room, and stopped, revealing it to be Tails.

"…Is he really going to be fine?" Tails said, a glimpse of worry in his eyes.

"That's what Insendius told me. I'm sure he'll be up and running in no-"A rush of wind was felt behind her, and a familiar voice chuckled.

"Missed me?" Blaze turned to face a certain cobalt hedgehog, and he hugged him.

"…I'm sorry about what happened…that was my fault, and-"

"It's fine, Blaze. You just can't help it…not really. You've got a duty, don't you?" Sonic said, stroking her cheek as Marine kept watching.

"Ooh…Blaze's got someone!" Marine said childishly, and as the lilac feline turned around to face her, Sonic pat her head with a smirk.

"…There isn't any other T.V. on that island…is there?" Blaze had a boatload of concern in her voice, and Marine nodded.

"They just built a ripper…Ur…what's that called again?" She turned to Gardon, who was just behind her.

"It's a coliseum." Gardon said, sighing as she turned to face the screen.

"Oh, roight…they built a coliseum where they captured that whale thing, and it's doing bladdy tricks in the water! A show's goin' on na', wanna see?" Marine was excited, and she pointed her camera to a coliseum, just barely able to see Blaze's large head on the screen.

"…Marine…you realize what's on that screen, right?" Blaze said, and as she got a closer look, she nodded.

"Yeah…oy, it's you!" Marine said joyfully, as Blaze just face palmed.

"…That's a show filled with tons of people, and they are watching me talk to a 12 year old." Blaze said, and taking her palm off her head, she sighed, her voice growing a bit more menacing.

"…Rikku…" Blaze said, and Rikku backed away from the flaming feline.

"Excuse me…you only asked for a radio tower, not a T.V. Besides, a T.V. is too small for the transmission to work well…" Rikku said, and Marine looked at Blaze.

"…Oy, what'd ya mean by '12 year old'?!" Marine said, and Blaze's flames growing higher, Marine backed away slowly from the screen.

Her flames suddenly died down as Sonic grasped her shoulder gently, and Marine could only laugh. "…Everyone's watching…" Marine taunted as Blaze blushed.

A massive crowd of excited people could be heard in the distance, and Rikku nodded. "…Yeah…I'm just going to go ahead and end the transmission…" A crowd quieted down, and she clicked a button, the screen turning black.

"Well…that went well." Sonic said sarcastically, and Blaze was flaming once more.

"…It went 'well'? I was humiliated!" Blaze said, turning to Sonic with a deathly glare.

"Just kidding…Whoa, wait up Blaze, calm do-"The cobalt hedgehog ran out of the room as the flaming lilac feline was chasing him outside…

* * *

"Well, I'm stuffed…Are you?" Nodoka nodded as the ebony hedgehog rose from his seat, Nodoka following.

"Yeah…pretty much."

"Hold it!" Sam said, pointing to Nodoka as people looked at the duo, and then grabbing a toothpick.

"Chicken in your teeth." Sam said, Nodoka taking the toothpick, and as people looked away, Chiharu popped up.

"…Want to give the crowd one last show? We're short on money…" Chiharu said, calculating the amount they needed, plus tax.

"Sure, why not…I've got an idea…" Juuchi said, materializing behind Chiharu.

Chiharu then dematerialized, and then from outside, rushed into the restaurant. "…Murderer!" Chiharu said, pointing to Juuchi, and Sam sighed.

"…What are you talking about, she never committed a crime!" Sam said, going on right side of the stage, Nodoka and Juuchi following.

"…We have a witness, you know." Chiharu pointed to Nodoka, and stood on the left side of the stage.

"…I'll testify…" Nodoka said, embarrassed, and people stopped eating, and started to watch the group.

"…It was today, around afternoon. She rushed up to a man in rage, and struck him on the head." Nodoka said, standing in the middle of the stage.

"Hold it! How could she have done it if she just randomly hit a person? There was no motive!"

"OBJECTION!" Chiharu grabbed a large table and placed it in front of him, slamming his hands on the table.

"She needed no motive to kill a man! She did it out of rage, didn't she?" Sam flinched, as though he was in pain, and then Nodoka amended her testimony.

"Alright, so they met once…but no time else." Nodoka said, and Sam's eyes narrowed as she said those words.

"…Gotcha!" Sam said, Nodoka slightly startled.

"…Nodoka. You tend to have a nervous habit…you tend to twitch your eye to the left when you say 'but no time else'…"

"…W-What of it?"

"…They met sometime else…if not, you met him…somewhere else. Some time…possibly _before_ the murder!" Sam said, and Nodoka winced in pain.

"…Alright, fine…I met the guy before the murder. But that doesn't prove anything much." Nodoka said, and Juuchi sighed.

"They used to be good friends, actually." Juuchi added, and Sam nodded.

"…Well…this seems to have taken a new turn. Well, jurists? What do you think? Is she innocent, or guilty?" Sam said, turning to the 'jurists', but as a man with a long white beard, and a bald head rose, a large mecha appeared from below, and took Nodoka by the head, knocking her out.

The audience roared with applause, and Sam's eyes widened. "…Eggman!" Sam said, his fur glowing red.

"You pesky rat…where are the Chaos Emeralds!?" Eggman said, and Sam sighed.

"Who said I should tell you! Chiharu!" Sam materialized Chiharu in his sword form, and then said: "Henshin!" He had his imperial robe and pike, and pointed his weapons to Eggman.

"Hoho…it's no use!" Sam swung the pike at the mecha, which simply had a regimental barrier around it; it was using Nodoka as a power source.

"Crud…Nodoka!" Sam said, and his pike disappearing along with his clothes and Chiharu, Eggman simply scoffed.

"Foolish pest…Bring me the seven Chaos Emeralds, and I'll free this little friend of yours, alright?" Sam could only snarl as he laughed, flew up into the air and teleported to his base of operations.

"…Nodoka…" Sam said, a tear making its way out of his eye.

"Your che-"Sam threw the money in the waiter's face, and ran off to the tree houses.

"…Feh. Teenagers." The waiter simply went back to his work, and sighed.

* * *

"…Blaze, calm down…Hey!" A mecha flew down, Nodoka in its hand.

Blaze, too focused on getting revenge on Sonic, and simply ignored it as she rushed up to Sonic…only to be picked up by the mecha, its barrier turning a shade of gray. "Blaze!" Sonic rushed up to the mecha, which simply flew high into the air.

"Bring me the Chaos Emeralds, and we'll talk. Farewell, Sonic!" Eggman said, noticing Tails and Rikku had appeared to the scene.

"And another one arrives…" Eggman attempted to take Rikku, but eight daggers appeared in back of her, and she commanded a dagger to strike the arms of the mecha.

Unfortunately, it merely hit the barrier, and Rikku was taken. However, she merely took Blaze and Nodoka, and jumped off the mecha, who, flying upward, didn't notice. "Hoho! I've won this-What?!" Rikku waved at Eggman, who dropped like a rock, intending to crush the group.

Rikku merely used her ten daggers to guard against the mecha, working to great effect, as the barrier was useless; no people to harm, no energy and no actual barrier. "You're finished!" Sam said, placing Chiharu in his 'sheath', and landing in front of the mecha.

"Rikku, if you may?" Rikku moved to the side as the mecha was stuck on the ground, and Sam took Chiharu out of his 'sheath', and sliced through the mecha.

"…Your mechas might be big, but seriously…they can break REALLY easily. C'mon…it's like mere cardboard." Sam said as the mecha blew up, and Eggman flew away in an escape pod.

"Thanks, Rikku." Sam said, Rikku nodding.

"…Hey, Nodoka…wake up." Sam said, and he saw blood coming from her quills.

"…He couldn't have…" Sam said, turning the unconscious body over, to be relieved; her brain was not mush, nor visible.

"Oh. Just my imagination. C'mon…Nodoka." Sam said, his voice becoming desperate and slightly choky.

"Wake up…wake up…I know you aren't…" Sam shed a tear just thinking about it, and looked at her face, how her eyes seemed to sparkle in the light above them…along with her lips, how they seemed to let out chuckles of joy, or words of confidence, sorrow, and love.

"…C'mon…" Another tear shed, landing on the magenta dress she usually wore, and Decretus gasped at the sight.

"Quickly, get her to the infirmary! Or a bed! Whichever comes to mind first!" Sam rushed to Station Square with the body of Nodoka, searching frantically for a hospital, until he found a large one, and entered.

"Get this girl to the best doctor here."

"…We don't treat animals…"

"Does it look like I care?" The clerk simply shrugged, and called out a name: Dr. Samantha Cosmos.

"…And people call me on the day I get no one…" A feminine voice was heard, and a light blue cat with golden eyes wearing a white skirt and apron entered the room lobby, to see the group.

"…Please…help her. I beg of you…" Sam said, and the Nurse sighed, turning away from Sam.

"Well, I might…but I'm just saying, I won't get the lost time of mine back." The Nurse then carried Nodoka, and placed her inside a room.

"…You don't treat animals, and yet your best doctor is one?!" Sam turned to the clerk, who just shrugged.

"So I lied. What are you going to do, punch me in the-"Sam punched her in the face, knocking her out.

"Liar!" Sam said, and as the Nurse gave a pained look, walking up to the clerk, Sam placed a hand between the two.

"Such filth like her don't need any help; the bad sleep well." Sam's fur turned red, and Cosmos looked at him.

"Do you need any medical help as well, or is that some kind of…"

"Ability? Yes." Sam said, a red aura surrounding him as he clenched his fist, and some floor tiles began to rise, a clattering noise filling the air as the tiles rose higher, new tiles rising up as they separated from the ground noisily.

"Hey, calm down, will ya? We're tryin' to sleep!" A patient hollered from his room, and Sam's fur reverted to normal, his red fading away.

"…Now, let's see what her problem is…you owe me for this." Cosmo gestured the group to get out of the room, and she followed, closing the door behind her as she rushed to another room.

"Alright…With one good X-Ray, I'll be able to diagnose the situation. Perfect position…X-Ray firing in three, two, one…" Cosmos clicked a button on a keyboard, and a flash was seen, something popping up.

"We'll have to wait for this X-Ray, right?" Sam asked, but Cosmos shook her head.

"Nope. This is a special X-Ray machine, sent to us by someone called the 'Fallen Angel'…no idea who that is, but whatever. It instantly shows the entire body, and it instantly shows the result. The technology this guy has…it's great." Cosmos picked up the X-Ray, and pinned it against a wall, examining it thoroughly.

"…I've found it. Her skull's got a mode two fracture, and her body's in some trouble…in any normal situation, she'd be dead…But I see she isn't exactly normal, so I guess I can fix it. It won't cost you anything but time…especially with this condition, I won't mind not getting a pay." Cosmos said, and Tails realized something.

"…Aren't you a bit young to be a doctor?" Tails inquired, Cosmos merely chuckling.

"I may be, but my entire family consists of people in the health department. I must work when I'm young, so I know this stuff well. Jeez…for a 14 year old, you'd expect to have some freedom…" Cosmos said, and she placed on gloves.

"Neglect to mention…it gets pretty stressful, but I deal with it." Cosmos had a hint of sadness in her voice as she walked out of the room.

"Stay in the lobby, alright?" The group nodded as they followed Cosmos out the door, and entered the lobby.

"…Well, now that they're gone, I can finally get to work…Naoshimasu, Shitsuren!" Cosmos' hands were covered with a blue aura, and she placed her hands on Nodoka's head as the mode two fractured bone miraculously healed, the fracture simply sliding back into the proper position, also healing anything else wrong with her head.

She then struck Nodoka's body multiple times, and miraculously, the bones began to heal, and suddenly, Nodoka moaned in her sleep, startling the doctor. "…Done." Cosmos rushed out, and met the group, Sam raising a eyebrow.

"That quickly…impossible. Chiharu, scan her." Sam said, and Chiharu materialized in front of her, and walked into her, disappearing.

"…You're right, she's got a Soul-" Chiharu said, but he was cut off by Cosmo's hand.

"Don't talk!" Cosmos yelled out, and Chiharu quickly went into Sam.

"…If my secret gets out, I'll get kicked out!" Sam nodded as the startled cat whispered, and she led the group to Nodoka's room, where she was awake.

"She's fully healed." Cosmos said, and Chiharu took the time to enter Cosmos once more.

"…Hey…Nodoka? Are you there…?" Sam asked, and Nodoka grumbled.

"…Are you…" Sam began to tear, and she hugged him lazily.

"…Yes Sam. I'm here…" Nodoka said, Sam crying tears of joy as she spoke.

"_There is no future…there is no past…Thank God this moment's not the last…" _Sam sung as Nodoka chuckled and joined in.

"_There's only us, there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today!"_ The duo sung, and Cosmos sighed.

"…You're welcome." Sam hugged her as well tightly, and she blushed.

"Thank you, thank you…You've saved my life." Sam said, and Cosmos shrugged in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Cosmos said, and Tails sighed.

"…He said if she's gone, so is he." Tails said, Cosmos gasping.

"You've got some love story, don't cha?" Cosmos said, Sam shrugging.

"…It's getting late…" Chiharu said, stepping out of a surprised Cosmos.

"Your Soulbend's nice, by the way. You should talk to each other." Chiharu suggested, and Cosmos nodded.

"…I've tried. I keep trying to resonate with it, and-"

"Resonating with the Soulbend and contacting the Soulbend are two different things. Get to know it." Sam said, and Chiharu cleared his throat.

"…Anywho, it's getting late. We should get going, right?" Chiharu said, and Sonic nodded.

"Let's go." Sonic said, but Sam shook his head.

"Why not?" Sonic asked, Sam sitting down.

"…Inform Decretus of my location. Tails, if you ever get the chance, say hi to Marine and Gardon. If not, then Blaze. Rikku…well, if Sonic forgets to inform Decretus of my location, then you do it. I'm staying here." Sam said, and the rest of the group nodded, leaving the room and hospital.

"...I thought you were gone…" Sam said, shedding a tear as Nodoka walked up to him.

"I won't go that easily…I'm your little helper, aren't I?" Nodoka said, and taking a glance at a clock, she sighed: it really was getting late.

"...I guess I'm heading to sleep." Nodoka said as Sam sighed.

"Alright…but before you do…can you tell me one thing?" Sam asked, and the regimental hedgehog raised an eyebrow.

"…Do you love me?" Sam asked, and Nodoka shrugged.

"…You should know the answer to that." Nodoka said, yawning as she put a blanket over herself, and Sam simply rose and pecked her on the cheek before returning to his seat, sleeping…

* * *

Spring Break is here! With a load of free time (now that the back breaking amount of homework is done in one day…yeah, it was stressful.) I can do as I please! Well, with my parent's permission. Training, and this will probably be my main priority; the tournament's drawing closer and closer…Hope you enjoyed reading, I enjoyed typing, R&R, I'll see you next!

Translations:

Naoshimasu, Shitsuren: Mend, Broken Heart. (To be truthful, it's actually a pun; Shitsuren means Heartbroken, but in love, not literal.)

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	22. Resignation

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Resignation

The sun was shining in Nodoka's room as said hedgehog awoke to find Sam, snoring as he slept on the very chair he observed her from. She got up slowly to realize that she was in a white hospital gown, her original clothes folded and placed in a white bag nearby. Nodoka simply flicked Sam's forehead as he awoke slowly with a yawn, and he rose from the chair. He suddenly grasped his neck in pain, and sighed. "…Ahh…neck cramp…man, this is gonna be a pain." Sam struck his neck a couple of times before Nodoka stopped him.

"…It won't make it any better, and we all know that we don't need you injured too." Nodoka stretched with a yawn, and proceeded to walk out of the room clumsily.

"Nice to see you awake." Samantha Cosmos was suddenly standing outside of the room, and the couple jumped slightly in surprise.

"Thanks for the help yesterday." Nodoka said, but Cosmos shook her head.

"It was nothing, really…and don't worry about the payment, you don't need to." Cosmos turned away from the duo, but Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, making her blush.

"…Really, I owe you a lot more than I can say. Don't be so modest…" Sam said, turning her around as Sam said those words to look at each other eye to eye.

"I…I really mean it, you don't have to repay me for this, I'll be-"

"Yes, yes I do have to repay you. C'mon." Sam said, dragging her outside, Nodoka following.

"Where are you taking me?" Cosmos struggled from Sam's grasp as he ran, Nodoka following still.

"Somewhere quiet. You need to focus." Sam said, and the speeding hedgehog stopped after around 10 minutes.

"…Alright, this is good." Sam said, but Nodoka walked up to him.

"What do you intend to do?" Nodoka asked, and Sam smirked.

"Get her Soulbend to materialize in the RL." Sam said, Nodoka nodding.

"…Fine." Nodoka said, Cosmos sighing.

"Look, is there really a point in doing this?" Cosmos said, and Sam nodded.

"…You said you don't have much freedom…if your Soulbend can do some of your job for you, you can go live it up a bit…alright?" Sam explained as Cosmos' face grinned afterward.

"…Thank you! I can't tell you how much I owe you, and-"

"We're even then. Now…let's get started." Sam said, and he materialized Chiharu in his hedgehog form, and he stood in front of Cosmos.

"You're the same girl from yesterday…well, it's not like you've moved on, right Sam?" Chiharu laughed heartily as Sam blushed.

Nodoka, glowing with a green aura, punched Chiharu with a glowing white fist. "No he hasn't!" Juuchi's and Nodoka's voices merged, and Juuchi materialized next to Chiharu, who was slightly shaken, Nodoka's green aura also dissipated..

"Now…just focus…on one connection you have and where you want your Soulbend to materialize." Sam said, and she thought heavily as a dark blue cat, wearing a black skirt and blouse materialized in back of Chiharu and Juuchi.

"…There you go." Sam smirked, and Nodoka stood next to him.

"Naoshimasu, Shitsuren. Shitsuren for short." The dark blue cat did a thumbs up, and Cosmos nodded.

"…Know this: your Soulbend isn't a weapon, or an item…now that it can materialize, it's a living being, just like you and me. Treat it with care." Sam said sternly as Nodoka struck his neck; the neck cramp was acting up.

"Thanks." Cosmos looked at Shitsuren, and she sighed.

"…To be frank…I've always wanted to see the world…I never got the chance…Are you going anywhere?" Cosmos looked at Sam, and he shook his head.

"…We've got two years to train…I'm the Chosen, Nodoka's my partner." Sam said, doubting she would understand anything, but Cosmos gasped in shock.

"…What?"

"The Chosen…I thought it was mere legend. But here I am…talking to him. Please, let me travel with you! I want to escape this dull hospital life…14 years of boring hospital work, and I'm tired of being so overworked! I'd do anything to escape, and-"

"No. I'm trying to do this with the least bloodshed…and the last thing I want is a person that I know getting injured, or worse. Look, I'm sorry…but I can't." Sam said, Cosmos tearing.

"…C'mon. Let her come along…it won't be a hassle…besides, the more the merrier!" Nodoka said, and Cosmos looked at Nodoka with great happiness.

"Fine. Just straighten everything out...and I mean everything." Sam said, Cosmos simply breaking into tears of joy.

"YES! Thank you!" Cosmos was laughing and crying, Shitsuren looking at her with a smirk.

"…I'll get ready…resignation, my parents, and-"She suddenly was in deep thought, and she shrugged, Sam raising an eyebrow.

"I actually don't know where my parents are. Last I saw of them was when I was eight, bidding me farewell as they dropped me off here…oh well. I'm out of the hospital life!" Cosmos said, Shitsuren entering the overjoyed feline.

Sam swept her off her feet, and ran her to the hospital in which they left from. "…Well, you're here. Go in, tell the news, and come back." Sam sounded slightly unenthusiastic, and she nodded quickly before leaping to an intercom.

"Dr. Samantha Cosmos has left the building! Goodbye and farewell!" Cosmos grabbed a nearby suitcase, one with her supplies in it as the patients and doctors alike were in a mad panic as she dashed out of the building.

"Well…that was relatively chaotic…but that was pretty funny. The best doctor, and she just ends up resigning randomly. They might think you're mentally ill, ironically…" Sam said, but the feline was too blinded by happiness to notice.

"C'mon…let's head back to Sonic and the others." Nodoka said as she dashed north, Sam and Cosmos following.

* * *

"…The time schedule that Gardon gave us had better work…" Blaze said, and the static from the T.V. cleared as Marine's face appeared.

"Oy, Blaze! Where's Two Color an' his mate?" Marine teased, and trees began to sway slightly.

"It's not 'Two Color'!" Sam leaped from the ground outside, landing inside the room in a dramatic fashion.

"…It's Sam." The ebony hedgehog did a thumbs up as Marine scoffed, but noticed a shy Cosmos at the door.

"…Oy, it's another gal! Oy, Two Color, are ya cheating on-"

"No I AM NOT. She decided to join the group, considering her boring, dull, and altogether stressful hospital life was a bit too much…give a warm welcome to Samantha Cosmos, head doctor of…umm…I never bothered to check the hospital's name, what is it?" Sam asked, Cosmo sighing.

"It's the Station Square Clinic." Cosmos said, and Sam nodded.

"Right. Head doctor of the Station Square Clinic." Sam said, and she blushed as Sam pointed to her.

"The gal's blushin', mate! Oy…she's got a thing fer ya, dan't she?" Marine said, and she blushed harder, closing her eyes tightly.

"No, I don't…" Cosmos said, and Sam placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She doesn't…don't worry, Marine's only joking, right?" Sam said, turning to Marine with a glare that could pierce.

"…_Blushing_…" Marine taunted, and Cosmos hugged Sam, a look of surprise on Nodoka's face, Sam simply did the 'Cut it out!' face, complete with the gesture.

"…Yeah…I'm gonna end the transmission, bye." Nodoka said, and with a click of a button, the T.V. turned to static.

"Hey, are you alright?" Blaze said, Cosmos slowly breaking her hug, and she blushed.

"…Sincere apologies…" Cosmos said, and Nodoka nodded.

"Just remember that me and him are together…" Nodoka said, referring to Sam, who was slightly blushing as well.

"It was just…agh. All I can say is sorry…" Cosmos said, and Chiharu's voice popped up.

"It's alright…although I suggest you remember what she said." Chiharu materialized in front of the feline, and Decretus arrived into the room.

"It seems we have another one…oh? Well, this is a surprise. What are you doing here, Cos?" Decretus asked, and Cosmos turned around in happiness.

"Uncle Dec!" Cosmos hugged the mink as he chuckled, and she spoke.

"I wanted to get rid of the boring hospital life…so I decided to go with a part of the Chosen life…So, what do you think?" Cosmos gleefully said, but Decretus sighed.

"…Are you sure? I mean…being a Chosen partner…you might die, for all I know!" Decretus said, as though she was a friend, but she nodded.

"I'm sure! C'mon Dec…let me…PLEASE?" Cosmos said, and Decretus sighed once more.

"…Fine. I suppose you with your hospital skills may aid them." Decretus said, and Cosmos hugged him once more.

"Thank you!" Cosmos said, and a look of surprise was in the rest of the group's faces.

"…'Uncle'?!" Sonic spoke, and Decretus nodded.

"Yes, yes…I indeed am her uncle. I, to protect the Chosen, told my wife that I had to be a part of this…it is fate, and I may accept it." Decretus had a hint of sadness in his voice, and Sam spoke.

"…'Dec'?" Sam asked in disbelief, and Cosmos chuckled.

"We're close. Mom and Dad left me to work in the hospital, so Uncle Dec took care for me sometimes. I took care of myself when he was gone…for 2 years." Cosmos said, recalling the past.

"Sorry." Decretus said, and with that, he walked out of the room, feeling guilt.

"Well…I'm kinda getting hungry. Have you eaten any breakfast?" Nodoka asked, and Sonic shook his head.

"…Do you want to go to somewhere to eat, or make something here?" Blaze inquired, and Cosmos spoke.

"…Do you mind if I attempt to make something?" Cosmos asked, and Sam shook his head.

"…No, go on. Kitchen's down the hall." Cosmos then went down the hall along with the group as she cooked, and the group sitting, waiting patiently…

* * *

Samantha Cosmos has joined the party! I'll add her bio today, if not (doubting not today) tomorrow. If the end was a bit uneventful, sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed reading as I did typing, R&R, I'll see you next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	23. Capture

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Capture

"May this rage of mine strike as swift as the wind…lightning strike from the rage of the skies, wind blow forth in the gale of change…Violent Storm!" Sam said, a bolt of lightning flying from his palm, and Nodoka, who was simply too slow to avoid it, was struck.

She was merely paralyzed and burned as Sam rushed toward her, his right hand infused with wind energy, his left infused with lightning. _"Crud…if I'm hit, It's over…I gotta move…" _Nodoka thought desperately as Sam stopped in his tracks, and pivoted dramatically, simply stopping there, his hands losing their respective wind and lightning energies.

"You really think I'd hit you with that?" Sam asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

"…You had me there, I'll admit that." Nodoka grasped her stomach as a slight burn was there.

"But would I really hit you with a fatal attack like that?" Nodoka shrugged.

"I don't know. You tell me." Sam shrugged, and then shook his head.

"The answer's only what you think it is." Nodoka infused her hand with ice energy, and pressed the gloved, icy hand onto the burn.

"…Wonder how long it takes for Cosmos to make lunch…or if the food's any good." Sam asked, as said cat was still making lunch, and it had been an hour.

"No idea…she mentioned that she's been living alone for two years, so I guess that she'd have some knowledge of the culinary arts." Nodoka laid down on the grassy plain that they were on, not far from the tree house complex, or Station Square.

"True…however, she may have been living on junk food, outside resources, or possibly going to the same restaurant everyday to get a bite." Sam laid down as well, looking up at the blue sky above them, not a cloud in sight.

"…I doubt it: she's pretty skinny." Nodoka said as she turned to Sam.

"You wouldn't happen to…like her, would you?" Nodoka asked, and Sam shook his head quickly.

"No…is it because I defended her against a verbal remark? If so, then that's rather…well, it's not right. I was just protecting someone from something that embarrassed them. Nothing much…" Sam said, and Nodoka looked at him with uncertainty.

"…She isn't really my type, anyhow…nor my species." Sam said jokingly as Nodoka chuckled.

"Alright…I'm just worried, is all." Nodoka said, her face becoming calmer.

Sam looked at the regimental hedgehog, wearing a white gown and skirt, courtesy of Cosmos, who said she had a lot of those due to her time in the hospital. She wore her usual soap shoes and gloves, and in Sam's opinion, she looked pretty good. He knew one thing: he felt as though his very life was taken from him once Nodoka had received those injuries from before. Sure, she had healed drastically, but he still couldn't help but feel helpless. He thought that one of the people that had made his life joyful once more was about to perish in front of him: it was mentally exhausting. The regimental hedgehog was chuckling in front of him as his face smiled, but inside, the concerned hedgehog was troubled. "…Well, let's go. The brunch might be ready." Nodoka said as she was getting up, sticking out a hand to help a nodding Sam, and the duo ran off.

* * *

"Brunch is ready!" Cosmos joyfully said as a blue of blue and lilac rushed into the room, fork, knife, and a plate in hand.

"Well, it took a while…but here." Cosmos took a large stack of pancakes, and placed them onto Sonic's plate, as well as Blaze's.

"Thanks…" The duo said in unison, and were about to leave when Cosmos placed multiple breakfast and lunch items on their plates.

"…No problem." Cosmos said, and the duo walked off.

"Hey, Sonic? Do you mind if you take some…a person like I must watch my weight, and-"

"No problem." Sonic's mouth was stuffed with meat, pancakes, and food galore as he said that, and he swallowed, Blaze looking on in disgust.

"…Ugh, Sonic…Don't you do that, it's rude…" Blaze passed bacon, waffles, and an egg to Sonic's plate as the cobalt hedgehog looked on in awe.

"Thank you." Sonic said, sitting down at a nearby table, when suddenly, a blur of Black, Green, and Dark Persian Blue passed by them, Blaze slightly jumping in shock, her food nearly falling off her plate.

"Sam and Nodoka are back." Rikku said, returning with her food, and she sat along with the duo as Tails followed.

"It seems so." Blaze said, and Rikku chuckled.

"What is it?" Sonic asked, Rikku looking at the duo.

"…I still wonder how you two would look in, say 2 years from now." Rikku had imagined the duo still as a couple, walking together, hand in hand as the duo blushed.

"Sonic would just have more quills, possibly darker fur…Blaze…I'm not sure. I guess…maybe…I don't know, really." Tails said, and Blaze sighed.

"No need to imagine…Wait." Blaze said, and she simply released her ponytail, taking off a small hair band, revealing long hair, lilac and purple tipped, stretching down to her shoulders.

"…You look…different. Did you do something with your hair?" Sam asked, coming out with a plate filled with food.

"Yeah, she released a hair band on it. What of it?" Nodoka said, a plate full of food in her hands.

Blaze was about to say something, but didn't._ "How did she figure out I had a hair band?"_ Blaze thought, but forgot about it.

"…There's a lot of food on the plate…" Nodoka said as Sonic ate the food on his plate quickly.

"…Not too fast, Sonic. I've learned my lesson before…" Sam recalled the time at a buffet: not the most delightful experience.

"Right…" Sonic said, Blaze's hair flying toward his direction as he attempted to eat.

"Blaze…your hair is kinda…" Blaze looked at him, the hair flapping in the cobalt hedgehog's face, leaving him unable to eat.

"Alright, I admit you look hotter than you were before with your hair down, but c'mon. I'm trying to eat…" Sonic pushed the hair out of his face, and Blaze moved the hair behind Sonic, as to not disturb him further.

"Thank you." Sonic took a bite of his pancake stack as the others watched in mere disgust.

"…This isn't a competition, y'know…slow down." Sam said as the cobalt hedgehog kept eating.

"Yeah…I'm just gonna eat away from the hunger powered hedgehog…" Nodoka backed away from Sonic, as did Sam.

"Indeed…not the most pleasant sight you'll see." Sam said, backing up, and sitting at yet another table nearby.

"…The food's good, I'll admit. A bit much, but still. Complements to the chef." Sam said, and as though that was a prompt, Cosmos appeared in back of him.

"Thanks. Being alone for two years really helps with your skills alone." Cosmos said, Sam nodding.

"I guess so." Sam said, Cosmos eating her brunch.

"…Do you think we'll be ready, Sam? When the time comes…I'm not sure about it…" Nodoka had a tone of worry in her voice, and Sam swallowed his food.

"Yeah. We've got two years to practice…and I think that if we, two years from now, were to be slain…that person must be pretty strong." Sam looked at his gloved hand, and looked back at Nodoka.

"I mean, look how strong we are now." Sam said, and suddenly, a flash of green light with a loud humming sound was seen and heard, Shadow appearing from it.

"…Faker…I. Need. HELP." Shadow said, worn out, and bruises on multiple places.

"You got her mad?" Sonic asked, to which Shadow merely nodded.

"…She knows where I am…I don't know how or when she'll be here…what do I do?!" Shadow questioned as the cobalt hedgehog swallowed his food.

"…Hey, Shadow, was it?" Sam said, and he turned to Sam, who snickered.

"What?" Sam simply led him to a bedroom, and felt around for a switch.

He found it, and then pressed it, leaving the ebony and crimson hedgehog in a dark room. "…This is a secret room Decretus informed me of: a torture chamber, used a long time ago. She won't think to look here…or want to. Once she's gone, I'll give you a signal, and you can use that ability of yours to get out." Sam said, and Shadow nodded, looking around the chamber, saws, ropes, and multiple devices of unfathomable torture around him.

"SHADOW! Where are you!" A shrill voice pierced the sky and the ears of the group, including Shadow as Sam pressed the floor switch, and the trapdoor closed.

Sam quickly ran to the group and sat casually as Amy stormed to them. "Where's that hedgehog!!" Amy said angrily, and Sam, Nodoka, along with Sonic, all gave her a look.

"…Which hedgehog are you referring to? The cobalt energetic one, the regimental and gorgeous one, or the dashing and protective one?" Sam asked, Nodoka blushing at her description as Amy drew her hammer and was about to strike Sam, who merely dodged the blow.

"Not good enough!" Sam swiped vertically at the raging female with Chiharu, which caused her to drop her hammer in shock.

"Calm down, jeez…you're looking for the dark, shady one, it seems. Haven't seen him, nor do I intend on doing so. Now if you may take your leave, I'd like to finish eating my-"He was cut off by an attempted strike to the head, but he dodged.

"…What did he do to you, anyway? It's not like he got you pregnant or anything…" Sam said jokingly as he dodged a flurry of strikes from Amy, and then kicked her hammer away.

"AGH. Forget it…there's no point in staying here…SHADOW!" Amy ran off and Sam returned to the room.

"It's okay, the coast's clear. Come up." Shadow Chaos Controlled up in front of Sam, and nodded.

"Thanks."

"No problem…what is that ability, anyhow?" Sam inquired, Shadow sighing.

"It's a simple transfer of internal energies, or the emerald's energy, into one place, and your current location…try it if you want, but I'm not helping. Now if you'd excuse me, I must be going…which way did she run?" Sam pointed west, and Shadow nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you and anyone else later." And in a flash of green light, he was gone.

"…A transfer of energies…one place to another…" Sam tried to picture it, and sighed.

"…He's got an emerald…maybe my emerald…" Sam went to the rest of the group, who were basically full, giving their plates to Cosmos.

"If I may…" Sam took the plates back to a sink in another room, and began to wash them.

"Why are you washing the dishes?" Cosmos asked as Sam thought about what it took to do the Chaos Control.

"You're complaining about it? Don't worry…go on. I'll catch up with the rest of the group later, alright?" Sam said, Cosmos simply sitting down on a nearby chair.

"…Well…I don't know how to talk to someone well. I might be outgoing, but…well; I'm not good with intros. Or talking to someone I barely know in general." Cosmos admitted shyly, and Sam sighed.

"Just strike a conversation with someone. Get to know them a bit." Sam placed a dish on the side, and Cosmos spoke.

"But what if there's nothing to talk about?" A silence was formed between the two for what seemed like minutes, and as Cosmos was about to leave the room, Sam gestured for Cosmos to come to him, and he spoke.

"…Listen. The world ends with you. Expand your horizons as far as they can…even though you're stuck here. How? That's for you to figure out." Sam smirked as he placed another plate to the side, and Cosmos blushed.

"…Thanks." Cosmos said, and as Sam placed one last plate to the side, he and Cosmos walked to the rest of the group, who were currently upstairs.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Your High-"Blaze gave the koala a deathly glare, and he swallowed.

"Princess Blaze." Gardon was sweating bullets, and Blaze spoke.

"How is my kingdom?" Blaze asked, and Gardon was sweating harder.

"…Well…you see, it seems that there seems to be a bit of trouble in Southern Island: people are revolting at the fact that there is no ruler, and-"

"…Gardon, I shall command them, even if I am a dimension away. Tell the people of Southern Isle that you shall rule them until I return. That is, if I do." Blaze said, and Gardon's face was that of sheer panic.

"Blaze! You aren't possibly considering living a dimension away, and never come back to this one!" Gardon said, his voice cracking with worry, and a relaxed Blaze chuckled.

"You shall rule by my command until I return. That is the end of the story. End transmission." Rikku did so, and the screen turned black.

"My, my…you're taking charge from a dimension away. Good for you." Sam walked into the room, Cosmos following.

"What of it?" Blaze turned to the hedgehog, who merely smirked.

"…Where's Nodoka?" Sam asked, and suddenly a loud, wood breaking sound was heard as Sam's ears perked up.

He rushed to the location, to find a large mecha, Eggman and Nega inside of it. "…Son of a-"

"Now, now…no need to be so angry. We just want the Chaos Emeralds that you have. Bring them to the crashed Egg Carrier site…or else the girl dies!" A regimental barrier appeared as Sam watched as the mecha flew away, Eggman audibly heard laughing manically with Nodoka in the mecha.

"…Eggman…Eggman…" Sam's voice was becoming increasingly louder and threatening as he began to sob, Sonic and the others entering the room.

"EGGMAN!" Sam's fur turned red, and an aura covered him, wood being destroyed around him as he attempted to run after the mecha, but to no avail as Sonic stopped him.

"Hold it. You need the seven emeralds first…and since one's a fake, we can use that one emerald to break what the two of them are planning." Sonic ran back to the treehouses, grabbed the seven emeralds, and ran back to Sam.

"…Fine…let's go." Sam said, the group running off to the wrecked Egg Carrier…

* * *

New chapter, GO! My spring break is almost over, and taking into consideration that I must go to my uncle's house from Friday to Sunday, returning on Sunday…I'll probably have a boatload of inspiration. I intend to finish this book by Friday, and I probably will…Tune in next time, for the jaw dropping, heart stopping, eye scrolling adventure, that is: Fated Souls, Lost Darkness. Hope you enjoyed reading this as I did typing, R&R, I'll see you next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


	24. All I Need

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

All I Need

"Well…the time's come. Let's go." Sam walked up to a platform, which began to spin and decend.

It led them to what seemed to be the interior of the ship, where Eggman and Nega were waiting patiently. "…Alright then, hedgehog. Where are the emer-"

"Over here, old man!" Sam threw the Chaos Emeralds, Eggman stumbling to catch them, but to no avail, as he merely fell, an emerald falling onto his head.

"Alright…now, you get to see your little friend…obliterated!" Nega said, about to click a button, but Sam shot a Chaos Spear at the switch, destroying it.

"…Alright, now. I TRIED to be a nice guy…and I TRIED to play fair…and yet you try to kill her…" Sam's fur began to glow red as the group backed away.

"Fool!" Nega pressed another button, a hand rising from the ground, attempting to grab Sam…

…Who simply took its fingers, and tore them out of the palm. "For playing fair? I don't think so." Eggman began to chuckle as Sam said those words.

"…Bring out the latest type." A blue and white robot appeared in front of Eggman and Nega, its eyes glowing red.

"What is your wish, master?" Sam's eyes turned instantly fierce, and he rushed up to the robot in rage of the past memories, burned and scarred in his head.

"Destroy these pests." Eggman muttered, and the robot simply struck Sam in the head with a roundhouse, knocking him to the nearest wall.

"Not yet!" Sam had a red aura around him, and with it, he rushed up to the robot.

"Your efforts are futile against Metal Sonic Neo!" Sam was flung to the wall once more by a punch, growling as he got up.

"Metal Sonic Neo…Metal Sonic 1, I don't care what it's called, it can burn in the fires of the netherealm!" Sam summoned Chiharu and focused his energy on Metal Sonic Neo.

"Brother…with this hand of mine, I don't care what it takes…you shall be avenged!" Sam rushed up to Metal Sonic Neo, and kicked it on the head, which merely twisted.

"Imbecilic…do you really wish to die?" Metal Sonic Neo kicked him on the head, axe kicked him, then proceeded to barrage him with a flurry of punches.

"Die!" The mecha shot a laser at Sam's head, but it missed, as he was suddenly gone in a flash of green light...

He reappeared in a flash of green light behind Metal Sonic Neo and stabbed it in the chest. It then turned on jet boosters, which burned Sam and allowed the mecha to escape quickly. "May the light from the heavens restrain and entangle…help me gain my lost hope, and remove those in my path…Light Seal!" Sam thrusted his hand forward, an imprint of his gloved hand appearing, rushing forward, making a high pitched sound as it struck the mecha.

It was suddenly covered in a light, and was paralyzed for a brief moment. Sam rushed up to it, but sadly, the mecha shot a missile forward, Sam being forced back, accidentally hitting Eggman in the face with a fist. "Foolish…do you really think that you can win?" Neo then rushed forward, pummeling the hedgehog over and over.

When Neo was done, Sam was bloody, bruised, black and blue, and on the floor. "...Kuchiyose…Chiharudori Kageyoshi!" The hedgehog was covered with a golden aura, smirking as he rose.

"…Tell me this…do you fear death?" Sam pointed Chiharu at the mecha, and summoned 10 Chaos Spears, holding them behind him.

"WELL?!" Sam threw the Chaos Spears at the mecha, and rushed in himself at it, but to no avail, as it dodged.

* * *

"…I've got to get-"

"WELL?!" The sound startled her, and she slightly jumped.

"…Sam…he must be…aww jeez…" Nodoka's face brightened, and she sliced the bars of her cell inside the ship, allowing her to escape.

"Don't worry…I'm coming." Nodoka ran out of the room, to face an obstacle: a whack a mole-like machine, used as a lock.

"Beat the high score…9001." Nodoka read aloud as a screen showed.

"…It's OVER 9000! How am I supposed to beat that?!" Nodoka said in disbelief, and she sighed.

"I may as well get started." Nodoka stood in the middle, and slashed away…

* * *

"Agh…" Sam was bleeding in many places, and with broken bones, he struggled to stand.

"Pathetic…Your attacks are hasty, and foolish!" Neo fired multiple missiles, Sam just barely dodging.

"I won't…give up…" Sam said, worn out and injured heavily.

"…I can't stand this any longer, I'm going in!" Blaze was about to go in, but was blocked by Sonic's hand.

"…No. He has to do this himself…he'd want to. This is a personal matter…" Sonic said, as he continued to watch painfully.

Sam managed to slice off the jet boosters Neo had, and he smirked with confidence. "You've got a lot to learn!" Neo kicked him in the stomach, causing Sam to wince in pain.

"So have you!" Sam twitched his finger, and a Chaos Spear struck him from behind, hitting Neo in what would be his shoulder.

"When-"Neo recalled the time when Sam rushed at him: he paused the spears in midair the entire time!

He then struck Neo in the other 'shoulder', and his 'legs', rendering him unable to move. "Perish." He sent the other six spears at his chest, Neo's eyes turning into a dull gray.

They then turned into a gold color, Neo operating again. "What?!" Sam was struck in the chest by a kick, and a banging sound was heard, everyone turning to a nearby door.

A weary and frustrated Nodoka had kicked the automatic opening door open. "MAN…You'd think a whack a hedgehog would be EASY to get past…forget that!" Nodoka said in weariness and frustration.

"…May the blades of the past be summoned anew…I call upon my ancestor's souls…Give me the power of one stroke of my blade, and let this slash scar!" Chiharu was now white, and Sam sent two more Chaos Spears, ignoring the pain that he had received.

"Slash of the Ancestors!" Sam slashed Neo, who merely had a red, flame patterned slash from his right 'shoulder' to his 'waist', Chiharu reverting to it's original, yellow color.

"…Retreat!" Neo then disappeared in a flash of white light, and Eggman smirked.

"No matter…I have the Chaos Emeralds!" Eggman declared proudly, but Sam simply took the emeralds.

"…I said you can take the emeralds, but I never said you can keep them!" Sam said, going on the platform clumsily, the rest of the group quickly following.

"That hedgehog…" The angry duo said in unison, rushing after the group in a nearby monorail.

* * *

"Quickly, Sonic. Let's go!" Sam ran for a nearby boat, but Neo cut Sam off as he punched him in the face and destroyed the boat.

"…Not again…" Sam said, and Tails clicked a button: the Tornado would arrive soon.

Sam threw the emeralds to Tails, who caught them clumsily as they came. Sam then shot Chiharu forward at Neo, but he missed, and evaded a punch. He then swept Neo off the ground, and slashed Neo in the exact same red slash scar, to find that the metal there was easily bent and broken. Neo kicked Sam in the face, knocking him back a bit, and Sam smirked: he had found his weak point! Missiles were fired as Sam ran evasively from Neo, until Neo had run out. He then switched to machine guns toward the speeding hedgehog, who shot a Chaos Spear at Neo, who evaded…but didn't expect for it to stop and pierce him through the back. "Shadow!" Nodoka said, and the rest of the group sunk into a puddle of darkness, shielded from the attacks.

"Oh, come on…I want to see the fight!" Nodoka pointed upward, where they could see what was going on in clear view, and Sonic nodded.

"…Chaos Spear!" Sam threw five Chaos Spears, which began to encircle Neo.

Sam twitched a finger, and a Chaos Spear flung to Neo, who dodged. He twitched yet another one, and another came to Neo as Sam stopped the first one. Sam kept repeating this process, and then flung all five in the center to Neo, who jumped, only to see that the spears were in a circular position, and were chasing after him. "Aww, c'mon…" Sam leaped in front of Neo.

"I thought my efforts were futile…" Sam said playfully, slashing him on the same spot he did last time.

Neo was then starting to lose energy…and decided to go all out. He released a switch, and a multitude of machine guns and homing missiles appeared. "Lightning!" Sam shot a bolt of lightning at Neo, who was grazed by it.

Neo began to unleash the multitude of bullets and missiles at Sam, who ran in circles around Neo, the bullets and missiles missing him. "Is that all?" Sam asked, jumping and slashing Neo one last time with Chiharu, in that same spot, and his eyes turned a dull gray once more.

"It's about time I end this…permanently." Sam was close to stabbing Neo in the head, but instead accidentally stabbed Eggman, who was attempting to reach out and grab Neo, in the back.

"You may have won this round…but the next shall be your last." Eggman and Nega then escaped in escape pods, appearing from below them, and Sam sighed.

"So close to avenging…" Sam said, worn out by the ordeal.

"Well, you tried, didn't you?" Nodoka asked, Sam nodding.

"Yeah…" Sam shed a tear, Nodoka raising an eyebrow as he did so.

Suddenly, she found herself to be in a tight embrace by Sam. "…I thought you were…" Sam sniffed, and shed tears of joy.

"You couldn't have done this during the battle?" Nodoka asked sarcastically, and she chuckled.

"Nope." Sam bluntly replied.

Cosmos then uttered something, and punched Sam in various places. "Hey! What's the big deal?!" Sam asked in disbelief, Cosmos simply chuckling.

"…Look." Bruises were slowly fading away, and scratches being healed.

Broken bones were mended back to normal, and Sam felt better. "…Your Soulbend's ability…" Sam pondered, as Cosmos merely smiled.

"Thanks." Sam said.

"...Wanna search for anything good on the ship while the Tornado arrives?" Tails asked, and Rikku nodded, the foxes going into the interior by monorail.

"Shadow!" Nodoka said, and the duo of Sam and Nodoka sunk into a puddle of darkness, the outside unable to hear or see the duo.

"…Nodoka…I thought you were dead…those lips wouldn't speak to me, ever again…but now..."

"Here I am." Nodoka pat Sam's head, and laid down.

"….How does this work? First it's a puddle…now…what?" Nodoka smirked.

"I'd figure you'd ask. It seems like a puddle…but it's really the dark surface of the world, consumed in waves of darkness that we can place ourselves upon. So basically…anything's the floor, but the light's our ceiling. Once we enter the light, we can't partially stay in the darkness. We're forced into one, or another…this also allows for quick and effortless transportation, as long as it's on the ground. Does that answer your question?" Sam nodded, and laid down beside her.

"…Yes, yes it does." Sam ran his finger through Nodoka's quills, who blushed.

The duo was in the 'puddle' of darkness for a while, and they saw Tails and Rikku come to Sonic and Blaze, who were having a rather…lively conversation. Sonic was talking about Blaze's withdrawn personality, and how she should open up to others…while Blaze argued that she has the right to do what she feels with her emotions and personality. In the end…they ended up snogging, Tails and Rikku looking on. "…You know that we can hear and see you, right?" Sam and Nodoka arose from the surface as Tails and Rikku were surprised, as well as Sonic and Blaze.

A whirring sound was heard: the Tornado had arrived. "…Let's go." The group hopped on the Tornado, and it flew back to the treehouse complex.

"Well…it seems you're back, son." Sam's father smirked at the group, and looked at Cosmos.

"My, my…it seems like you've got another girl in your group. Cute to boot!" Sam's father laughed heartily as Cosmos blushed.

"You know I've got Nodoka…right?" Sam asked, uncertainty in his voice, and his father nodded.

"…I know. Just playing around with you…anyhow, who is this girl? Introduce yourself." Cosmos backed away slightly, bumping into Sam, the duo blushing.

"…Samantha Cosmos, former head doctor of the Station Square Clinic, now in the Chosen's group." Sam took the words out of Cosmos' mouth, his father nodding.

"Nice to meet ya, kid." Sam's father chuckled, and placed black sunglasses on.

"…What's with the sunglasses?" Sam asked.

His father merely shrugged, and chuckled. "These sunglasses I bought when I was traveling once…rare, unbreakable, and one of a kind. Keeps the sun out due to its extremely dark shades, it makes me look like a shadier character, and it's made of a alloy that's temperature sensitive. I can tell when you're lying, actually…but I won't go into detail about that." Sam realized his father was dressed up in a white long sleeve, then a black vest, along with black dress pants and dress shoes.

"…Going anywhere?" Sam asked, his father merely nodding.

"I'm headed to meet with your mom again. Wanna come along?" Sam nodded quickly, his face enlightening.

"…Sadly, I'm headed to dinner with her, hence the dress up. I'll allow you all to meet her afterward." Sam's father said, and the group nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you later then, father."

"You too, kiddo." He disappeared in a puddle of darkness.

"…What are your parents like, anyway?" Nodoka asked, and Sam sighed.

"They've always been away. Dad's been…'busy', and Mom was always involved with something…I wish I could've known them better…" Sam sulked, and Nodoka chuckled.

"Well, you're going to meet them…perk up!" Nodoka said cheerfully, Sam smirking.

"That's the Sam I know and like!" Nodoka said, Sam blushing as she said so.

"I suppose…but what are we going to do while waiting?" Sam asked, Nodoka shrugging.

She saw the others walking to the T.V., and hooking up the wires to the dimensional communicator. "The emeralds, if you may…" Sam tossed the emeralds to Tails, and as he placed them in a machine, a static sound was heard.

A burning house was seen in the distance, and Blaze widened her eyes, then narrowing them at Gardon. "…Gardon. What have you done?" Blaze was holding in immense anger as the koala backed away quickly.

"Sincere apologies, Blaze. I was attempting to calm the people, and they began to form a mob, and-"

"Lead them to the coliseum. Now." Blaze was flaming as she said 'Now', and Gardon hastily ran and lead the people to the coliseum...

And by hastily ran and lead the people, I mean to say he was being chased by the angered mob into the coliseum, where Blaze's giant face was visible. "People of Southern Island, this man is your leader until I return! Get it into your heads, disband the mob, and LIVE NORMALLY UNDER HIS RULE!" Blaze shouted as the rest of the group startled by her outburst, along with the rest of the crowd as her flames died down.

"End the transmission." Rikku nodded and did so as the crowd began to settle down, dispersing themselves.

"…Well, things are chaotic over there…" Sam said, Blaze glaring at him.

"Beyond chaotic and into madness." Blaze stated.

"We may as well eat now, I suppose…we're going to visit my mom after, right?" The group nodded as Cosmos went downstairs into the kitchen to meet Decretus, who was cooking.

"I've heard about your visit to the Chosen's mother…I wouldn't want you to overwork yourself, so I decided to make dinner." Decretus stirred something in a large pot, but as he tried to grab a spatula, Cosmos got to it quicker.

"Uncle Dec, I know you feel guilty about leaving me alone for two years…but I don't mind. It's helped me more than it has hurt me, and really, I don't mind you making dinner…but I won't let you do it alone, now will I?" Cosmos said as Decretus hugged her.

"…Thank you. It makes me feel a lot better, knowing this." A cauldron was nearly boiling, and a panicked Cosmos turned off the gas.

"Too close…Now, let's get to it, shall we?" Cosmos nodded, and the duo happily worked on.

* * *

"Delightful…simply delightful. My kingdom is falling apart." Blaze was flaming as she said those words, all but Sonic backed away.

"…Blaze, calm down. Sure, Gardon can't handle situations well…but that's what you're there for, right? You've gotta calm down, and trust others…neglect to mention help them when they can't control the situation. Please, Blaze…calm yourself." Blaze's flames died down, and her heart went aflutter as those words came out of his mouth.

The cobalt hedgehog approached her gently, giving a smirk to her, and patting her on the head. "Sonic…I hurt you last time…didn't I?" Blaze turned away in guilt, Sonic sighing as she did so, placing a hand on the feline's shoulder as well.

"I already told you, Blaze. Don't blame the event on yourself…" Sonic rubbed the feline's ear.

The feline was blushing and purring as he rubbed her ear, as he did so, she thought: _"What should I do…what…He's forgiven me for something that was completely my fault, and-" _Her train of thought was cut off by a light peck from the cobalt hedgehog, who then proceeded to walk to the boy's bedroom.

"…Sonic, wait!" Blaze walked briskly after him, an ethereal flame streak behind her as she did so.

"…Well Nodoka, it seems fate has brought you safely here again." Sam smirked as he faced her eye to eye.

"Yeah, I guess so." As Nodoka said that, an awkward silence was formed between the two.

Rikku spoke up to Sam, breaking the silence. "So…excited to see your mother again?"

"…Yeah. I haven't seen her in…give or take, a rough year from now." Sam said, his face slightly brightening.

"How does she look like?" Tails inquired as Sam's face brightened.

"…Her clothing style I could never describe well…so I'll leave that for when we meet her. She's a green hedgehog, brown eyes, fair complexion…had an ear pierced, but barely wears ear rings…and she likes to wear fake eyelashes. Don't question why, that's beyond my comprehension." Sam chuckled at his last remark, and Nodoka was about to question something…but decided to leave it for later.

"I'm going to check on what Sonic's doing…who knows?" Sam walked out, Nodoka closely following.

"Aww man that hurts…can we stop?" Sonic's voice was heard from inside the boy's bedroom, and Sam placed his head against the door.

"We started this, we must finish it." Blaze said.

A flicking noise was heard, and a groan was heard from Sonic. "This feels uncomfortable…neglect to mention if someone catches us like this, it'd be really-"

"We start and finish our business, that's that." Blaze stated, and at the note, Sam was too curious.

He opened the door with a smirk on his face. "Oh, man Sonic, you're in for it no-" He then saw the two playing a game of Twister, Sonic's head right below Blaze's, their bodies nearly touching each other in an…awkward fashion.

"…Pervert!" Nodoka slapped Sam as she entered the room, said hedgehog falling to the ground.

_"I've gotta stop assuming all these things…"_ Sam thought as Blaze now slapped him with a burning palm, a mark on his arm.

"What, you want to join?" Sonic asked playfully, but Sam simply shrugged.

"Dinner's ready!" Cosmos and Decretus said in unison as the group went to the kitchen, and saw what seemed to be a large banquet at the tables.

"We decided to cook what we knew…and save the rest for later days if we needed." Decretus said.

"That way, we won't have to waste some money or resources on things we already have here!" Cosmos cheerfully said, Sam nodding.

"Thanks!" Sam felt his stomach growl, and chuckled.

"No need to just stand there, c'mon and eat!" Cosmos passed a plate and bowl to Sam and the others, who nodded in thanks.

The duo ate slowly and heartily as they conversed with each other, and after some time, the group finished, giving their plates to Decretus. "Thank you, Decretus." Sam gave his plate to Decretus, but Cosmos took it.

"Don't worry, Uncle Dec. I've got this covered." Decretus nodded, disappearing in a flash of white light.

"…Thanks for the meal…my father shall be arriving soon…and by soon, possibly any minute. Need any help with the dishes?" Sam asked, Cosmos shaking her head.

He started to wash the dishes anyway, Cosmos looking on. "…Do I need a reason to help someone? Besides, the others don't know you well…get to know them. They're in the male's bedroom, playing Twister. Go on, join them…you don't need to worry, I'll get this done." Cosmos shook her head.

"You've done the dishes before, you don't need to-"

"You made the dinner before."

"Doesn't mean I can't take care of the dishes."

"I never implied such."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to!" Sam and Cosmos were incredibly close to each other, eye to eye, and they backed away from each other, blushing as they did so.

Nodoka watched the duo, and when Sam was finally washing the dishes, she walked up to her. "…Were you being truthful back then?" Sam shrugged.

"…About what, exactly?"

"About liking Cosmos. I saw you two eye to eye…I can't believe that you'd-"

"I was telling the truth back then!"

"Then prove it!"

"Fine!" Sam kissed Nodoka with passion and rage, minutes passing before it was released, Nodoka looking into Sam's eyes.

"…I was telling the truth, Nodoka. I was being serious…do you trust me on that?" Sam asked, Nodoka feeling immense regret doubting him, she turned away blushing.

"...I'm sorry…" Nodoka murmured, tears in her eyes.

"Can I trust you on that?" Sam asked, a slight tone of seriousness in his voice.

She turned to him with tears falling down his face, Sam feeling slight guilt. "…No need to cry…" He wiped the tears off her gently, and a puddle of darkness was seen, Sam's father and mother rising from it.

"…Father, Mother." Sam said, nodding to them.

"As distant as ever." His mother said, wearing a black and white one-piece and black heels.

"Who is that? Why is she crying? Is she your-"

"I explained this on the way here…" Sam's father face palmed, and Sam's mother realized, her face having a slight surprise hint to it.

"You must be Nodoka." Nodoka nodded, staying behind and close to Sam, the duo slightly backing away from Sam's parents.

"Nodoka, no need to be so nervous…" Sam said soothingly.

She nodded and stood next to Sam. "She looks pretty too!" Nodoka blushed as she said those words, Sam comforting her.

"…Thanks."

"Her voice is just as pretty as her looks!" She blushed harder at that statement.

"Now now…no need to flatter her too much."

"I practically came to see the girl that's with my son!" Sam's mother exclaimed.

"But his friends want to see you as well."

"What of it?"

"Come on…it'll be five minutes. That's it."

"But-"

"No buts. Come on…don't be so insensitive." Sam's father and mother sank into a puddle of darkness, Nodoka and Sam following them in Nodoka's puddle of darkness.

"I told you, I only came here to-"

"I told you not to be so insensitive to the boy's feelings. C'mon…" The duo rose to face the rest of the group.

Sam and Nodoka did so behind them, and introduced his mother, who merely looked away. "Well, now you've seen me, I've gotta go. Important things to do. Goodbye!" She disappeared in a flash of light, Sam's father leaving with a bow, sinking into a puddle of darkness.

* * *

"Important things? IMPORTANT THINGS?! All you do is go to fancy hotels and gamble!" Sam's father rose from the puddle of darkness inside a hotel room, Sam's mother already there.

"Most of the time you lose!"

"I win!"

"Rarely you do!"

"…So?"

"At least I haven't been LYING to our son! I've been truthful for the thirteen years of his life he's been living! I HAVE been busy, I HAVE been doing work, and I HAVE tried to support him! Most importantly, I CARE for him! Unlike SOMEONE who simply just gambles, eats, sleeps, and occasionally goes to the bathroom!" Sam's father had eyes of rage and fury, his voice growing louder as his wife cowered and backed away before him.

She fell to the ground in fear, and Sam's father sighed, trying to release some anger caged up within him. His outburst wore him out, his energy drained, he sank into a puddle of darkness, and slept.

* * *

"She seemed as though she was a bit rushed…did you think anything happened?" Rikku asked, but Sam shrugged.

"…I doubt it." Sam said, looking at Nodoka, who was slightly embarrassed.

"Nodoka…are you alright?" She nodded as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm…fine. A bit embarrassed by the turn of events…but that aside." Nodoka shyly walked outside where the moon was shining brightly upon those who walked out, whether it be the lively streets of the city, or the serene hills of the wild.

"…Order." Sam muttered, as the duo was covered by a white light, Sam holding Nodoka's hand, leading her to what seemed like a door.

"Where are we?" Nodoka asked Sam, who smiled.

"We're in what Decretus calls the light plain. It's basically the light version to your darkness puddle. It can do the same things that your darkness puddle can..." The ebony hedgehog took Nodoka's hand once more, and the duo went up in the 'air'.

"Whoa…" Nodoka looked down at the floor below, and Sam smiled.

"It's alright…don't worry, just relax." Nodoka laid down as Sam hugged her.

She blushed as he ran his fingers between her quills gently, and planted a kiss on the regimental hedgehog's lips, smirking afterward. "…I'm sorry from before…I just got a bit worried, that's all." Nodoka shed crocodile tears, but Sam wiped them away anyhow.

"It's alright, Nodoka…just…don't go to the presumption of that again, alright?" She nodded, and yawned.

"…Well…it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Nodoka was descending from the light plain, although Sam stopped her if only for a moment to plant a kiss to the lips, and she returned the favor.

"Night." Nodoka said, exiting the light plain.

"…Night, Nodoka." The duo saw that everyone was sleeping, Sonic and Tails in the boys bedroom, Blaze, Rikku and Cosmos in the girls bedroom.

"…Hey, where are you sleeping?" Sam asked, for Cosmos had taken Nodoka's bed.

"I don't know…I might ask one of the masters to allow me to sleep: they have a large bed, and-"

"I won't allow that…Nodoka, you can take my bed." Sam said, Nodoka's eyes widening.

"I couldn't…it wouldn't feel right. Don't worry, I can-"

"I don't care about me…as long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"But I care about you…I don't want you to suffer."

"I won't…as long as you're near." Nodoka blushed slightly, and nodded.

"…Wait…do you mind if we share a bed? I mean, it might be big enough for two." Nodoka blushed harder, but shook her head slowly.

"Alright." The duo went to Sam's bed, and they laid down on it, taking the blanket, and covering each other.

Nodoka planted a kiss on Sam's lips as he was about to fall asleep, and he embraced her tightly. "…Nodoka…" Sam uttered in his sleep as she blushed.

_"…I guess I can sleep like this…it might be a bit hard…"_ Nodoka looked at Sam once more, and smiled.

_"But as long as he's around…I don't need to worry…he's all I need." _Nodoka snuggled against Sam's chest, and yawned quietly, falling asleep in the same blanket as Sam, who smiled in unison with Nodoka, happy.

* * *

…This was an incredibly fun chapter to write, in my opinion, and reading it, it's one of my favorites. I'm off to my uncle's house tomorrow…I'll return Sunday with a stuffed stomach, and newfound inspiration! That also ends my break…but I crammed what I could inside it, so I have no regrets. Hope you enjoyed, R&R, I'll see you next!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam

P.S.: The trailer chapter, Chapter 25, will either be released tommorow, early morning, or Sunday. I'll see you then!


	25. Trailers

**Disclaimer:**

**All Sonic characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Oh, and Rikku belongs to RikkuMcClowFox on Fanfiction. (Or Slashin' Azriel Hacke on FictionPress.)**

**Now, on with the show!**

* * *

Trailers

Well…here are some trailers for the next book in the Vengeance Saga.

* * *

"…Who are you, and why are you here?" Sam asked the hedgehog, but he merely grabbed a Chaos and Sol Emerald, both of the same color, and proceeded to walk away.

* * *

"Oh, no you don't!" Sam rushed up to the white hedgehog, who covered himself in a white aura, Sam backing away at the sight.

"We are the Seven Disciples of the First. In due time, our master will be revived…and then…you shall do nothing but cower in-"Sam punched the cat in the jaw.

"Shut up and get your point across." Sam said, and then kicked him with a roundhouse to the face, sending him off the hill he was on.

* * *

"…Oh GREAT…just what we need. Another one of you." Sam sarcastically said.

"Yes, just what you need…for the end of your life!" The cat rushed up to him, but was punched square in the forehead.

* * *

"Tails…" Sonic anxiously looked back at the seven people about to use their ablities.

"…What is i-"

"Shut up and drive!" Nodoka said quickly, and with Tails thrusting the vehicle forward, they dodged an attack from one of the seven people.

* * *

"…You alright, Cosmos?" Sam asked, but the feline gave no response.

"…Hey…wake up…" Sam said, shaking her quicker and quicker.

"Wake up…" As Sam began to tear only a little, she then proceeded to snore, indicating that she was sleeping.

"Well…I can safely say that was a moment of sheer failure." Nodoka said, Sonic nodding in agreement.

"I second that." Sonic said, the rest of the group nodding, aside from Sam and Cosmos.

* * *

"Why are you so mad at me? C'mon Juuchi…what did I do?" Chiharu turned Juuchi around to find that she was crying, and he wiped her tears away gently.

"…Dang it, Chiharu…" Juuchi said through tears.

"What…what is it?" Chiharu shook her, a moment of silence created between the two.

"…Why…"

"Why what?"

"…Why'd you have to be so…" She sighed, and turned away from Chiharu, Chiharu only turning her back to face him.

"So perfect!" Juuchi said, Chiharu simply scoffing at the statement.

"…I'm anything but." Chiharu said, hugging her tightly.

* * *

"…Don't lie, Sam. You really had me back then…I thought…"

"Nodoka…really, would I-"

"I've had enough! You and your little…moments with her! If it's just SO cute, then be honest-" Nodoka said, her fur turning darker.

"I am in saying this: I wouldn't just die for you. I would die for you, go to lengths farther than anyone can fathom to find out who I was, and help you in that life, if not die for you AGAIN." Sam said, Nodoka's fur turning back to normal.

"…Are you sure?"

"Do you want to find out?" Sam asked, but she nodded quickly.

* * *

"…We gotta do something. We'll eventually be…" Sam was panicking slightly, but Nodoka was calm.

"I've got something…but it's gonna be risky…it's either us or the world." Nodoka said, Sam nodding.

"…If it was us or the world, I'd go with you." Sam said, Nodoka blushing.

"Ready?" Nodoka asked, Sam nodding.

"…Ready when you are..." Sam said, Nodoka nodding.

* * *

Well…There you go. I'll be going to my uncle's house later…so I'll see you in the next book, Path to Dawn, Dawn to Darkness! Hope you enjoyed reading these scenes as I did thinking and typing of them, R&R, I'll see you in the next book!

~ADarknessInHeaven

Aka: Sam


End file.
